There's More Than Meets The Eye
by Takari4ever3012
Summary: 3 years ago, Hinata was kidnapped by the Akatsuki just before the Chuunin Exams. Till now, she has not been found. What has become of her? Is she still alive? Two years later, she is found by her friends. Will she be the same Hinata that they knew?
1. Chapter 1

Hello! I'm writing a Naruto fanfic for the first time! I greatly appreciate reviews and constructive advise but I don't accept flames! I hope you enjoy the story!!!

" Hi " talking

_hi _thoughts

**hi **the past/ flashbacks

Thank you for reading!

* * *

The girl ran with all her might into the darkness of the night...Her brilliant dark blue hair flew behind her as she ran...Her pale violet eyes widened in fear as she saw the men who were chasing her closing in on her. 

_I am really going to die now..._she thought

" Byakugan!!! " she shouted.

_There is 195 degrees from here...another at 36 degrees...then...Ah shoot!_

She skidded to a halt before crashing into the man in front of her. A man who wore a black cloak with red clouds on it. A man who had blood red eyes...He paralyzed her just with his eyes!

_What's this?! Genjutsu?!_

" Got 'er eh, Itachi? " another man came up to him.

" Yes, sharkboy. " was the short reply.

" How many times must I tell you? "

" Fine, fine...Ki-sa-me. " Itachi replied nonchalantly.

If she wasn't paralyzed, Hinata would have giggled at the scene but how exactly can you giggle when you're being kidnapped by two men?

" Let her go, I don't think she's gonna fight...Eh? You little squirt, cause if you do...We WILL kill you. Got it? " Kisame threatened.

Itachi turned around and set off for the headquarters. Kisame sighed.

" Leave all the work to me, eh? " Kisame sighed.

Hinata tried to inch away but was quickly caught by the blue colored man. He tied her wrists and feet tightly. Then, he tossed her onto his back. She grunted as she hit his gigantic sword, Samehada. He launched into a sprint.

" You aren't getting away that fast. " he smirked.

" W-w-why d-do y-you want m-m-me for? " Hinata stammered out.

" Oh jeez, I'm stuck with a pansy, who sta-sta-stammers! " Kisame mocked.

Hinata blushed with embarrassment and kept her mouth shut for the rest of the way.

_What is to become of me now? Will I die? Oh Father, Mother...Hanabi..._she thought as she tried to stifle her sobs.

Kisame rolled his eyes as he carried on with his journey. Suddenly, he came to an abrupt stop. He threw Hinata onto the hard granite floor.

" We're here. " Kisame announced.

" Aren't you a bit late Kisame? It's almost dawn... " scoffed a blond haired man, never failing to annoy him.

" Shut it Deidara, before I punch that smirk off your pretty little face. " Kisame spat back, his eyes narrowing in anger.

" Calm down, sharkboy. " Itachi said.

Kisame stiffened but continued to glare at Deidara for a few more seconds before turning to their leader, Pein.

" Ah so you have brought the _child. _" Pein said with satisfactory, though he didn't smile.

" W-what do y-y-you want from me? " Hinata stammered in fear.

" Nothing...much. All I need you to do is to listen and obey our commands. " Pein answered.

Hinata lowered her eyes, knowing that there wasn't anyway to get out of this...unless she wanted to die...So she listened and obeyed...

* * *

How was it? I'm not too pleased with it. The reason why the Akatsuki want her would be revealed later in the story. If all goes well, I might have this done by November! Thanks again for reading. A comment would be lovely. Ja ne! 


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again! Sorry my first chappie was so short! The next will belonger! By the way, I don't own Naruto! So, enjoy!

* * *

The night when Hyuuga Hinata, heiress to the Hyuuga clan disappeared, the fifth Hokage of Konoha issued a search party. All of her friends were greatly stricken by her loss. 

" Isn't weird Tsunade-sama? Why would anyone want to kidnap Hinata? " Shizune asked in confusion.

" Money probably. Those people aren't fit to be called humans, Shizune. They're monsters! " Tsunade exclaimed angrily, slamming her fist down onto her desk.

Shizune flinched.

" And how is the Hyuuga clan coping with this? " Tsunade snapped.

" They... " Shizune's voice trailed off.

" They? "

" Hinata's mother is crying, Hyuuga Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister locked herself in her Hinata's room and hasn't come out. Lord...Lord Hiashi doesn't seem to be particularly worried though... "

BANG!!!

_There goes another desk..._Shizune sighed inwardly, as she watched the desk fly out of the broken window.

" That man! I tell you he's totally unforgivable! I mean, Hinata's his _daughter_!! I can't believe- " Tsunade was suddenly cut short by a knock on the door.

" Enter! " she shouted.

In came a few preteens.

" Naruto? Sakura? Sasuke? What are all the Teams doing here? " Tsunade asked, rather irritated.

" Tsunade-sama, I-we didn't mean to interrupt but- " Kiba started.

" We know that you've already organized search parties but we want to help too!! " Naruto exclaimed.

" Hinata has been very kind to us and- " Tsunade stopped Sakura.

Tsunade turned her back on them. " Go then. " was all she said.

They gasped and cheered. Then, the group rushed out of the room.

" Tsunade-sama, are you sure? " Shizune asked.

" At least she has friends she can count on Shizune. " Tsunade said gently, a soft smile gracing her features.

Shizune nodded.

* * *

The search went on for three weeks. When it was finally over, Tsunade reluctantly announced Hinata was dead. 

Meanwhile...

Hinata sat inside the room that the Akatsuki gave her, very much alive. She sighed. She wondered how her family was doing and how her friends were. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. It was Konan.

" How are you doing? " Konan asked.

" F-fine. T-thank you. Konan-s-sama. " Hinata stuttered.

Hinata was always awed by the older woman's beauty. The violet hair, those deep emerald eyes and that flower in her hair...It looked so _real. _Konan caught her staring.

" Do you like it? " Konan pointed to her flower. " It's made out of paper. " she smiled.

" Paper? But it looks so beautiful... " Hinata's gasped.

" Do you want to learn how to make it? "

" Really?! " Hinata asked, her eyes shining. " But why are you being so nice to me? " she frowned.

" Am I? "

" Yes, you gave me these clothes to wear. " Hinata pointed to her black fishnet shirt, black pants and not to mention the black high heels. _Everything _was black. " You cook for me and you always come in here to talk to me. "

" Well, consider it an act of kindness then. Trust me. I know what it feels like to be alone. You don't want to learn it the hard way... " Konan sighed.

" Oh... "

" Your training with the Akatsuki is going to start tomorrow anyways! So you better get ready! I'll teach you how to do origami tomorrow evening. " Konan said cheerfully.

" Ok. Wait, training?! And what's _origami_? " Hinata asked in surprise.

" Origami is the art of paper folding, like how I did this flower. And yes. You haven't forgotten what Pein said to you right? "

Hinata shook her head. Konan opened the door.

" By the way, did you notice that you stammer less now? "

Hinata's eyes widened. She turned to the door but Konan was already gone...

" Arigatou, Konan-sama. " she whispered into the night.

* * *

The next day...

Hinata woke up as the sun started to rise. _Hanabi...everyone...I hope you're okay..._she thought sadly.

" Hinata, your training begins with Sasori. " Konan greeted her as she walked into the main hall where a giant statue with two hands resided.

" H-hai, Konan-sama. "

A red-haired man, who looked very much like a teenager walked towards her.

" My name is Sasori. Pleased to meet you Hinata. I'm going to teach you how to make puppets and control them. However, if you try and run away I will not hesitate to kill you. Do you understand? " Sasori said.

" H-hai, S-sasori-sama. "

* * *

" Hinata-chan...I can't believe that you're really gone...I thank you for your kindness... " a blond-haired boy said softly, his blue eyes held a clear sadness in them. 

" Naruto... " Sakura whispered, obviously feeling sorry for her team mate.

" Leave him Sakura. " a raven-haired boy told her.

" But Sasuke-kun, is it really alright? "

" Right now there is nothing we can do. " came the simple reply.

Sakura reluctantly nodded but continued to watch her friend as he sat down near the gravestone.

* * *

" ...so you have to have precise chakra control at all times to create chakra strings which controls the puppet which can be used to kill. " explained Sasori.

Hinata nodded, her mind swirling with information and techniques.

" Okay then, let's start by making a puppet. "

Sasori placed wooden body parts in front of her.

" Try fixing this first, once you can successfully do that, I will teach you how to carve the wood. "

" Hai, Sasori-sama. " Hinata said happily.

Sasori relaxed. Who knew teaching would be so stressful? When he opened his eyes again, he frowned and peered closer at the puppet.

" Uh...Hinata? You screwed the arm the other way round... " Sasori sweatdropped.

" Oh! G-gomen, Sasori-sama. " Hinata blushed.

Sasori smiled as Hinata laughed at her own mistake. _This might not be so bad after all..._he thought.

* * *

Arigatou means thank you! Thank you for reading! Hope you liked it! The reason why they need Hinata will be revealed in the next chapter so stay tuned! Bye! 


	3. Chapter 3

Hey all! Sorry for the wait. Thanks for reviewing! I really appreciated it! I don't own Naruto too. Without further ado, let the chapter begin…..

* * *

After a hard 6-hour training session with Sasori, Hinata could finally create chakra strings that were up to his standards. She cleaned up and went to her room. Then, just as she collapsed onto the bed, Konan came in.

" Hello. " Konan greeted.

" Good evening, Konan-sama. "

Konan waved a stack of colour paper while smiling. " Are you ready to learn origami? "

Hinata nodded eagerly.

Over the next 2 hours, Konan taught Hinata to fold paper cranes, flowers and even kunai.

By the time they finished, the entire bed was filled with origami. Hinata giggled as she put them on the table provided for her.

" Well, it's time to sleep and I need to go somewhere. Goodnight Hinata. " Konan said and disappeared through the door.

Hinata just fell onto the pillow and slept, too tired to do anything else.

Konan went to the main hall. Pein was already waiting for her.

" I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Pein. " Konan apologized.

" How is the girl? " Pein asked.

" She is getting better in fighting. Trusting us more. Are you still sure ab- "

" You _know_ we have to Konan. She is the key to stop this impending doom that's coming. " Pein answered sharply, making Konan flinch slightly.

Konan lowered her eyes. " Very well. "

* * *

Back in Konoha...

After Hinata's disppearence, Team 8, which consisted of Kiba, Shino, and Kurenai, recieved Hanabi as a new member. They all tried to comfort her but deep inside, they held heavy hearts. Naruto had finally gotten over this incident and started training with Sasuke and Sakura for the Chuunin Exams. They had passed the written exams already.

" Naruto? Do you want to go for ramen tonight? " Sakura asked.

" I'll pay this time. " Kakashi said cheerfully.

" Um...No thanks. " came the sad answer.

Even Sasuke was surprised. Naruto never _ever_ says no to ramen!

" Come on, dobe. We don't have all day. " Sasuke tried to convince his rival.

" Fine, teme. "

They walked on with Naruto dragging his feet.

* * *

Three months passed after Hinata was kidnapped. She had trained with almost every member of the Akatsuki except for Pein whose identity was always a mystery.

" Deidara-sama, look at this! I made a clay puppy! " Hinata exclaimed.

" Hinata! You're not supposed to play around! " Deidara groaned.

" Aww, you're no fun at all. " Hinata pouted as she expertly exploded the clay figure.

" Not bad but- "

" You still can improve. " Hinata mocked.

" You come here! " Deidara said as he chased her around the main hall.

All the Akatsuki members were getting fond of her, except Pein. Itachi was still emotionless as ever but he took an interest in her well being. Kisame's term for her, 'squirt' was used as a nickname now. Hinata had improved greatly in all her ninja skills. She could now control puppets freely, use origami and explosive clay as weapons, and use water jutsu.

_I have yet to train with Itachi-sama, Hidan-sama, Kazuku-sama, and Zetsu-sama..._She thought with a shudder.

Hinata was always rather nervous around them, considering their monotonous voices and the amount of killing intent she could feel from them. These months had also changed her attitude. She was now more vicious and often spoke her mind.

" I hear you're training with me tomorrow. "

Hinata whirled around.

" Hai, Itachi-sama. " Hinata replied softly and lowered her eyes.

" I want you here by dawn, otherwise you will undergo punishment. " Itachi spoke, his voice sounded serious.

Hinata nodded as he disappeared leaving only smoke to see.

That night she was visited by Konan again.

" Hinata, I want you to learn some healing techniques. This will prove highly useful whenever you need them. Here are some scrolls. " Konan said while giving her a huge bag.

" Uh...okay. But why so many? " Hinata frowned in confusion.

" The more you learn the better. Goodnight. "

Hinata lay down onto the bed. After a few tosses and turns, she decided she couldn't sleep and went to the main hall. There she found Sasori and Deidara bickering about art. Again.

" I tell you it's only things that ar- Oh Hinata, what are you doing here? " Deidara asked.

" I couldn't sleep and decided to take a walk. " She replied.

" Perhaps some training might help. " Sasori suggested.

" Sure. I still need to learn how to control the puppets with a finger. " Hinata said eagerly.

They trained until dawn. By then, Hinata was so tired out she couldn't even stand. As Sasori and Deidara retired, Itachi appeared in front of her.

" Early. "

Hinata looked up and nodded.

" I have studied the uses of Byakugan before. Do you know what they are? " Iatachi questioned.

" They are for searching, tracking and identifying targets. " Hinata said.

Itachi gave a slight nod indicating that she was correct.

" Do you know what is the meaning of Genjutsu? "

" Genjutsu are techniques that use the chakra in the victim's nervous system to create illusions. "

" Correct. I shall teach the basics of Genjutsu today and give you an example. Are you ready? " Itachi narrowed his red eyes.

" Yes, Itachi-sama. "

* * *

However, things in Konoha were not going so well...Sasuke left Konoha after fighting an intense battle with Naruto to become more powerful in order to kill Itachi and avenge his clan. Naruto was badly injured and deeply saddened because he couldn't protect both Hinata and Sasuke. Sakura didn't know what to do but comfort poor Naruto. Rumor also had it that the Akatsuki were hunting for Naruto though he didn't know it himself.

" Sakura? I'm going to train with Ero-sennin for a while. " Naruto said as he got up from the hospital bed finally recovering from all his injuries.

" When? " Sakura asked.

" In a week or so. I need to be stronger. To protect the ones that... " His voice trailed off.

" Oh, well I'm training with Tsunade-sama already. Good luck. " Sakura said cheerfully.

Naruto nodded and went off. Probably to find his teacher.

* * *

Far, far away, in a forest near the Akatsuki's hideout, a bloodcurdling scream was heard...and then, nothing...

* * *

Well, that's it! I hope you enjoyed it! This story for now is during the first season of Naruto. So, I think from the 5th chapter onwards I will be setting it in the Naruto Shippuden timing where everyone is about 2 years older than now. See you all soon!


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for reviewing and reading people!! I hope you are enjoying the story! The pairing is close to decision. It will most probably be naruhina or sasuhina!! Keep reading to find out! This is still set in the timing of the first season of Naruto, so the next chappie will probably be in Naruto Shippuden setting where everyone is at least 14 to 16 years old, I suppose. I also don't own Naruto! Enjoy!

* * *

Hinata was the one who screamed for she was being tortured mentally by Itachi. She was nervous at first then she heard Itachi say,

" In the world of Tsukiyomi, I control space and time...You will be cut by my katana for the next 72 hours... "

Then, she fainted and woke up to find herself tied to a post. Hinata felt repeated pain burn through her as Itachi sliced her again and again. When it was finally over, Hinata was panting and sweating like crazy. If she was still the old Hinata, she would've burst into tears by now. However, after undergoing harsh training, she learned to endure and ignore the pain. She looked at Itachi, her pale, violet eyes filled with anger and defeat.

" To you, it may seem as if it was really three days, but it was only 5 seconds... " Itachi said, rather bored.

_To think that Genjutsu can do this much..._Hinata thought amazed.

" Can't you kill your opponents while using Genjutsu? " Hinata asked.

" You don't have to. You can kill them _using _Genjutsu. "

" Oh. Erm, how? " Hinata asked again, confused.

Itachi sighed, " You torture them until they can't take it anymore, baka. "

Hinata flushed in embarrassment, " But I have Byakugan. To be able to use Genjutsu, shouldn't I need Sharingan instead? "

" It doesn't matter which clan you're from or what eyes you have. If you master the technique, what is there to be bothered about the differences of Byakugan and Sharingan? Hm? " Itachi explained.

Hinata opened her mouth but Itachi spoke again rather exasperated.

" Yes, Hinata. I know Byakugan and Sharingan are used for very different purposes, the fact is you can master the technique with Byakugan and I can master the technique with Sharingan. It's just a technique which requires dojutsu or pupil techniques like the Byakugan, Sharingan or the Rinnegan. "

Hinata tried to ask again.

" No more questions Hyuuga. I'm seriously thinking of using Tsukiyomi on you again. " Itachi replied rather irrtated.

This time Hinata kept her mouth shut. No, she DEFINITELY did not want to experience that again.

" Now, try using Genjutsu on that bird. You will need much training to perfect Genjutsu. " Itachi commanded.

* * *

As the training with Itachi finished, Hinata went to her own room pondering. _Itachi-sama said that I would need at least three months to learn Tsukuyomi and even more to perfect it. Genjutsu also has a weakness he said. I wonder-_Hinata's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the door.

" Come in. "

Konan opened the door, " It's for you... "

She handed the scroll to Hinata and left. Hinata opened the scroll carefully. Her eyes widened as she read the faded words.

" Life-Resurrection Forbidden Jutsu...This can't be! " Hinata said to herself.

Ever since the day Konan gave her the scrolls on healing techniques, she had learned half of them already. Due to an enormous chakra reserve, in which she picked up from Kisame, she could heal wounds pretty fast. What she was reading right now was deemed impossible by every other healing techniques she had learned. Hinata folded up the scroll and placed it on her table. She decided to learn it after she finished the bunch of healing scrolls Konan gave her before.

As she wondered what was happening in Konoha, sleep slowly engulfed her...

* * *

Hinata woke up to the faint light of dawn. Ever since training started, she always woke up just before dawn. When she walked to the main hall, she was greeted by Konan.

" Good morning, Konan-sama. " she bowed.

" Hello Hinata. Pein orders you to follow Itachi and Kisame to Konoha. We want to capture the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, Naruto. "

Hinata froze. Nobody told her about _this_. Sure, she didn't have the crush on him now but she still treasured him as a friend. Konan should now this.

" Yes, I know. He's your friend right? Trust me, I'm sure they won't succeed this time. " Konan whispered to her.

" I don't want to go. " Hinata replied.

This was true. Hinata did not want to see her friend die.

" Listen to me, Hinata. You follow them first, then you go off somewhere else. Kisame agreed to the plan and I finally convinced Itachi even though he thought it was useless to do so. Sasori will be at the border of the Mist country if you want to train. However, I cannot stop them from capturing Naruto. You know what Pein will do if they failed on purpose. " Konan hissed impatiently.

Hinata's shock was quickly replaced by a bittersweet feeling. Konan always, always watched out for her and helped her unlike her family...She shuddered to think what will Pein do as well.

" Thank you so much, Konan-sama. " Hinata whispered back.

Konan smiled.

" Hey squirt! You better hurry! We're gonna be late! " Kisame called.

Hinata quickly ran out of the hideout.

" You had better thank us for this, Hyuuga. " Itachi snarled.

" Don't worry about him, squirt. Another one of his moods. " Kisame reassured her.

She smiled. She was used to Itachi's tempers. However, if she wasn't careful, he could still kill her. Then, after reaching the border of Suna, Hinata changed her route heading to the Kirigakure (Hidden Village of the Mist) where Sasori was. Today, she will be learning about poisons. Then, she will be learning how to extract poisons from the healing scrolls. That was the last thing to learn from the scrolls. She had even mastered the Chakra Scapel which was a really nasty move to master. She had almost given up on that silly thing.

" How ironic. To think a jutsu would take 6 months to master. " Hinata said to herself as she sprinted on.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello again!! Thanks for reading this story!! Thanks for reviewing too!! These reviews really keep me going!! I hope you enjoy this chapter!! By the way people, the pairing has been decided!! I will not say anything so keep guessing! I do not own Naruto! Without further ado, let this chapter begin!! By the way, this is in Shippuden timing so Hinata and the rest of the kids are now about 14-16 years old.

* * *

TWO YEARS LATER...

A ninja was jumping from tree to tree, searching for something. She had excitement in her eyes but she kept extremely silent. This was because she was out of her home and in the ninja world, if you're somewhere else but home, you could get killed...

" Byakugan.. " the ninja murmured.

Her eyesight enhanced incredibly. She searched the woods carefully, not missing even a centimeter. Then, she found what she wanted.

" At last... " she breathed happily.

Ever since she had mastered an impossible and forbidden jutsu from a scroll, she had wanted to test it one someone. However, the circumstances weren't always right...She launched into a full-fledged sprint towards what she had found. A skeleton of a human was what she was looking for and she succeeded in finding it. As she neared the bones and clothing which surprisingly were still intact, a flicker of disappointment went through her.

" Darn, this skeleton has no flesh on it. To think that I came all the way here to Kirigakure (Hidden Village of the Mist) and found nothing. " she muttered.

She was about to leave when she saw a small piece of flesh still stuck to the bone of a finger. Her heart leaped. She wrote a little note and placed it in one of the hands. She went to the ribcage and performed a line of complex seals with her hands then with a shout of effort, she slammed her palm down on it. Miraculously, the ribcage didn't break. Green chakra started flowing from her body to the little piece of flesh. Slowly but surely, the piece of flesh started to grow. By evening, it had covered the entire body.

" Almost done... " the ninja said through gritted teeth.

She was sweating and panting with the effort she put in. She finally removed her hand in the light of dawn and collapsed into a heap. Just as that happened, the skeleton now human woke up. He shook his head a few times.

" Where am I? I thought I was dead... " he said softly.

He noticed he was holding a piece of paper in his hands. Frowning, he read it.

_Dear whoever you are,_

_Hello! I think you're rather surprised to find that you're alive after you died. I was looking for someone to test this jutsu on and found your skeleton. I hope you don't mind being alive again but if you don't want to, I can kill you in the next 1 month. You will probably find a girl lying down on the ground with midnight blue hair that reaches her waist, a black fishnet shirt, black shorts, black wristband, black choker and black high heels. I will wake up in the next 3 days and explain everything to you._

_Yours truly,_

_Hinata._

" Huh?? " he said to himself.

He looked around and saw a girl just like the one described in the letter. She lay very still but her face showed fear even though she had her eyes closed.

" No...no wait...Hanabi! Father...no don't leave me! Mother! " Hinata cried in fear.

The male teenager had a puzzled expression. He walked over to the girl. _Well...I can do something to help ease her pain. After all, she brought me back to life even though I did not have a purpose..._Haku sighed inwardly. He took out a long needle from his sleeve and proceeded to insert them in various chakra points around her body. He continued doing that for the next 3 days. Then, Hinata groaned and opened her eyes.

" Damn...That was so horrible. I do NOT want to go through that again except when there's no other choice. " She muttered to herself.

" Hello.. " the boy said awkwardly.

" Oh hi! You must be the boy I revived! How are you? Is your body working fine? " she said cheerfully not sitting up.

He nodded.

" That's great! Now I'm sure that Life-Resurrection Jutsu works! " she said happily still not sitting up.

" Wha? It's a forbidden technique? Shouldn't there be more of a sacrifice? And why aren't you sitting up? " the boy narrowed his eyes.

" This is my sacrifice. " Hinata answered simply.

" What is? "

" I have to go through 3 days of mental torture, a week paralyzed, and then after that 20 days without chakra. And I can only use this technique once on each person. It's the first time I'm using it and I wanted to make sure it really works. " Hinata explained.

" I see. "

" By the way, I haven't gotten your name. What is it? " Hinata asked.

" It's Haku. "

" Haku? That's a nice name... " Hinata whispered wistfully.

" Thank you. "

" What's your past? You can join the Akatsuki once you tell me your past... " Hinata asked.

" Why do need to join? I have no purpose. " Haku said.

" If you don't have a purpose, make one cause it'll be a waste of both our time and energy. It'll be a waste of a life so many people want. " Hinata replied fiercely.

Haku flinched.

" You might as well tell me cause I won't be able to move for the next one week even if you use your needles on me. " Hinata pointed out.

" I am now 17 years old. I'm an orphan. I posses the kekkei genkai, Hyoton (Ice Release). It allows me to mix wind and water to create ice. My mother had this ability as well. However, I was born in a time where people with kekkei genkai were feared. So when my father found out, he killed my mother. He was- " Haku clenched his fist, " -about to kill me but I managed to survive by using my kekkei genkai to kill him... " Haku trailed off.

" I'm sorry. " Hinata said softly.

Haku shook his head, " Then, a man called Momochi Zabuza took me in and used me as a tool. Finally, my life had a purpose. During a battle with Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Hatake Kakashi. I lost my life to protect Zabuza who was also killed in the end. I think. " Haku spoke.

" Naruto?! Sakura?! Sasuke?! That was about? " Hinata exclaimed.

" Two years ago. "

" Oh... " Hinata said, disappointed.

" Why? " Haku asked, frowning.

" I wanted to spar with them. They were my friends until the Akatsuki took me to their hideout one night. " Hinata said.

They talked for that one week Hinata was paralyzed. When Hinata finally could move, they quickly found an inn and had some food. Replenished, Hinata lead Haku back to the Akatsuki headquaters. The members of the Akatsuki accepted him as a member. Pein had reluctantly let him stay for Hinata was driving him up the wall with her pleading.

" I'm impressed Hinata. You actually learned the Life-Resurrection Jutsu that I gave you? " Konan asked.

" Yeah, it was hard work and terrible sacrifices but I'm glad I can use it now. How come you won't learn it for yourself? " Hinata replied.

" I don't have a big enough chakra reserve needed like you. Besides, I have no need for it. " Konan sighed.

" Oh. "

" Get some rest Hinata. " Konan whispered softly.

Hinata nodded as Konan left. They both knew that Haku was being shown his room by Kisame. He was given some clothes as well. Over the next two months, Haku and Hinata became fast friends. They spared and trained with each other. With the help of the Akatsuki members, except Pein, Haku had gained perfect control of his Hyoton while Hinata became stronger than ever. Though they often tied in sparring, Hinata always appeared a little stronger than Haku.

One day, Deidara and Sasori came back with a familiar person.

" I know him! He's Gaara! I saw him before the Chuunin exams! " Hinata exclaimed.

They didn't say anything but held apologetic looks. Haku appeared by Hinata's side.

" You going to extract the Bijuu from him huh? " Haku said softly knowing that Hinata was very against hurting people even though they had to save the world.

" I don't really mind. I'll have to go through it again...but I want to revive Gaara after you finish! He's Naruto's best friend too and Naruto wouldn't want him to be dead. " Hinata spoke and left for her room.

Haku followed her after taking a final glance at the red-haired Kazekage of Suna.

* * *

Back in Konoha, Naruto had returned from his two-year training with Jiraiya. Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi formed a team called Team Kakashi. Under orders from the Hokage, Tsunade, they were now heading towards the Akatsuki hideout together with Team Gai and an elder of Suna, Chiyo, grandmother of Sasori. Little did they know what they were going to expect...

* * *

I'm done with this chappie!! It's been an extra long one cause I didn't want to explain the whole thing about Haku again! Also in the next chapter, the will be a big battle between Sasori, Sakura and Chiyo. See you next time, thanks for reading and a review would be nice!


	6. Chapter 6

Hello again! Thanks for all your support! Your reviews either short or long will keep me going!! Here's the next chapter! I'm adding a TWIST! Read to find out! Before you kill me with not getting on with the story, I would like to say I don't own Naruto and I love you guys for R&R-ing!!

* * *

Hinata sighed and looked up. They had already begun to extract the Bijuu from Gaara. She had tried to block out all the sounds of suffering from him but she couldn't so she decided to take a night stroll. All of a sudden,

" Haku, I know you're there. " she said.

" Looks like you found me. " he answered sheepishly, emerging from his hiding place.

" I don't blame Deidara-sama and Sasori-sama but I wish they didn't have to do it... " Hinata sighed.

Hinata still had her soft, innocent side. She only showed it to Haku...for now.

" Don't worry. If the nightmares get too scary for you after the Resurrection Jutsu, just remember I'll be there beside you. " Haku reassured her softly.

" You know...you remind me a lot of my elder cousin. His name's Neji and he lead a very harsh life. Yet, even though he hated the Main Branch, in which I was from, he always took care of me. I was very grateful for that. " Hinata murmured.

Haku sat beside her on the tree branch.

" Haku? "

" Yeah? " he turned to face Hinata.

" Even if you're weaker than me- "

" Hey! " Haku replied indignantly.

" Even if you're weaker than me-It's true don't deny it, " Hinata poked him in the ribs, " Could-could you be my- " she swallowed nervously, " -my Nii-san? "

(Nii-san means elder brother in Japanese! Pls correct me if I'm wrong! Thanks.)

Haku gave a small laugh, he loved Hinata and cared for her but it was more towards brotherly affection, not true love. That was something they both had to find on their own. Suddenly, Hinata tensed.

" Haku, I sense a strong chakra and fierce killing intent. A chakra signature almost like- " Hinata gasped, " -Itachi-sama's! " Hinata cried and took off into her super-fast sprint.

" Hinata! Wait! " Haku called after her.

_Damn..._he cursed in his mind. He could never match up to her speed. He quickly followed her.

Hinata flew ahead, Byakugan automatically activated. She flinched as she saw blood on the ground and the flash of a katana. She halted right in front of the scene. Her lavender eyes filled with horror and disgust. _Who would do such an inhuman thing? _she thought as she saw the bodies severely cut apart. Then, she heard a sound and quickly moved to her right evading a katana by a hair's breath.

" Interesting. No one else has evaded me and my blade, Kusanagi in that speed before. " she heard a low, sinister voice speaking.

" Itachi-sama? " Hinata questioned.

He quickly tried to stab Hinata but she block it with her kunai. As they stood, faces inches apart, Hinata could see immense hate in those red Sharingan eyes...He was Uchiha Sasuke.

" Do _not _associate me with that hateful killer! " he roared.

He increased his speed to the max and started attacking. Hinata was evenly matched for her speed was as fast as his. If anyone saw them fighting, it would just be glimpses of their bodies. Sasuke aimed for Hinata's heart, then he drove his katana in. He saw a water clone of her disappear. Hinata was right above him and quickly made some hand signs.

" Suiton : Water Explosion Jutsu. " she whispered.

A blast of water came right at him.

" Katon : Grand Fireball Jutsu! " he countered.

The fireball and the water collided, leaving only steam to see. Hinata sighed and made a chakra string. Sasuke dodged a blade that was aimed for his neck. He saw, it wasn't Hinata, but instead it was a puppet with four hands and three legs. He tried to swipe it in half with Kusanagi. Then, the head of the puppet opened and thousands of poisoned senbon needles flew at him. He got out of the way. Sasuke glanced at Hinata and saw something incredible-she was only using a finger to control the puppet. However, he didn't have time to look that long for Hinata was rising from the ground, finished with her puppet and slid into her Gentle Fist stance in the air.

" Why? Isn't he your brother? " Hinata whispered.

" Shut up! " Sasuke replied angrily and dove in with his katana.

" Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation. " Hinata announced.

A shield of chakra formed around Hinata as she spun lightly on her feet. Sasuke avoided it by inches and nearly got thrown off because of her power.

" Hmph. Chidori Nagashi! (One Thousand Birds Current) "

Electricity suddenly enveloped Sasuke. Both attacks neared each other dangerously. As they collided, a huge explosion happened. Through the smoke, Sasuke held Kusanagi at Hinata's throat.

" You die today, Hyuuga. " Sasuke spoke nonchalantly.

" I don't think so, _Uchiha._ " Hinata replied, twitching her finger.

Sasuke then felt a cold blade pressing into his neck, he saw the puppet from the corner of his eye and cursed.

" It's a tie then unless you want both our heads to be chopped off. " Hinata said light-heartedly.

" _Fine, Hyuuga. _" he spat out.

" You'd make a good training partner. " Hinata praised.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

" We shall meet again here, in the next full moon. Next time, I will defeat you. "

" I'm giving it my all then, Uchiha. " Hinata laughed.

" Hn. " was all he said before leaving.

Hinata sighed happily. _Finally...someone to train with. I still have to give chances to Haku when we fight. Uchiha Sasuke huh? Those red eyes...held immense hate and a slight sadness in them...I'll ask him when he's ready to answer me._ Hinata pondered.

" Hinata! "

" Haku-nii-san! "

" What happened? Are you alright? Did anybody hurt you?! " Haku panted, gasping for breath.

" I'm fine, Haku-nii-san. I just met Itachi-sama's little brother. That's all. "

" Oh? I heard he's quite strong. "

" We were evenly matched, both in speed and tactics. " Hinata answered.

" Let's go. Ninja from Konoha are expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon. " Haku said.

" I'm excited Haku-nii-san! I can't wait to spar with Naruto! He must have gotten stronger by now! " Hinata cried.

" Forever testing yourself huh? You're strong Hinata. Just remember that. " Haku left.

" Thanks. " Hinata called after him.

* * *

Hinata and Haku were practicing in the afternoon. Both of them were getting ready for battle. They knew that a team had already found the 3rd entrance seal to this hideout. As they fought, Deidara and Sasori watched and corrected them.

" Your guard is dropping, Hinata-san. " Sasori pointed out.

" Hai, Sasori-sama. "

" Haku! There was no strength in that punch! " Deidara said.

" Yes, sir! " Haku teased.

A vein appeared on Deidara's forehead.

" I told you not- " he then threw a piece of clay at Haku who dodged it with ease, " to call me that! "

Hinata laughed. Then, all of them heard a shout as the rock in front of the hideout broke apart. Hinata and Haku quickly hid themselves.

" WHERE"S GAARA?? " Hinata heard a familiar voice shout.

" I'm sorry, he's gone. " Sasori said, in a 'I don't care' voice.

" I'LL MAKE YOU PAY! " Naruto growled dangerously.

Hinata winced. She knew they were sitting on Gaara's body right know but she couldn't do anything. She screamed and shouted at Deidara for doing it before they came but it made no use-he refused to budge so she couldn't even revive Gaara. She wasn't the only one furious.

" Well...I'm off now. " Deidara flew off on his gigantic clay bird.

" COME BACK HERE WITH GAARA!! BASTARD!! " Naruto roared.

" Naruto! " Hinata heard Kakashi follow him.

" So our battle begins here then, Sakura, Grandma Chiyo. " Sasori spoke, bored.

" Let's go, Hinata. We'd better follow Naruto, ne? " Haku whispered and took off.

Hinata left without a word. When they got to where Deidara, Kakashi and Naruto were fighting, Naruto had a red cloak of chakra surrounding his body.

" What happened?! " Hinata whispered worriedly.

" It's the Demon Fox's Cloak. " she heard Kakashi murmur.

_There must be a seal for it! There must be! _Hinata thought as her Byakugan activated by itself. then, she saw it. Kakashi was holding it. In his hands. She took a deep breath and starting pumping chakra to her legs.

" What are you doing? " Haku hissed.

Hinata vanished from his sight and for a moment, he saw Hinata take the seal from Kakashi's hands and slammed it on Naruto's forehead before disappearing again. The red chakra started to disappear as Hinata landed beside Haku.

_What the...did I just see Hinata? No way...how could she? At a speed like that? Incredible...yet quite hard to believe. _Kakashi thought.

" He saw me. "

" He _what_? " Haku hissed angrily.

" I don't think he believes himself. He's arguing the possibility. Let us leave, Haku-nii-san. " Hinata left with a small 'poof'.

Haku sighed before leaving himself. To the Akatsuki's new hideout.

* * *

I know! I know! I'm sorry I didn't right anything about Hinata fighting anyone except Sasuke! I decided not too anyways, considering most off you already watched and read what happened so it wouldn't make much of a difference. Please review! Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Wowz!! I haven't updated in the LONGEST time ever!! I'm so sorry to those who have kept up with this story! I had my exams last two weeks so, heh, I've been totally busy! Now I am free!! I can finally update the stories I've started so stay tuned people!

* * *

Both Hinata and Haku were worn out after reaching the Akatsuki's new hideout. Haku went to drink some water while Hinata went to the main hall to debrief to Konan. As she neared the room, she heard Pein and Konan talking. Hinata quickly hid her chakra signature as best as she could and inched closer.

" You seem to be getting quite fond of her, no? " Pein questioned Konan.

" She's a good child and she'll make a great ninja in the future. " Konan replied.

" Ah...Did you know the reason _why _I told her that there was going to be a huge disaster coming soon? " Pein asked.

Hinata's eyes widened. Did he mean that he lied to her? Did Konan know?

" Because it's...true? " Konan frowned.

" That's the first reason. You see, the one-thousand year old seal that has kept Orochi from reviving is nearing it's end...Orochi will soon be unleashed wrecking havoc with it's eight evil spirits. Blight, I believe is one of them. This monster is described as having eight heads and eight tails and eyes as red as winter-cherries. It is so long its body extends over eight valleys and eight hills, its belly is always bloody and inflamed, and its back is covered with hikage (clubmoss), hinoki (Japanese cypress), and sugi (Japanese cedar). " Pein explained.

" It sounds terrible. " Konan stated.

" In the so-called legend, a warrior named Susano killed him by using sake that has been refined eight times to make him drunk and then cutting him to pieces. However, he soon found that no matter how hard he tried or what methods he used, Orochi could not be killed. So it was sealed away deep into each of the Five Great Countries. "

" Then, is it not like the Mouryou that was destroyed by Naruto and Shion, the priestess of the Demon Country? "

" No, it is ten times worse and more powerful. Each head was sealed in a different place too. It's body is in The Valley of the End. The first head, fire, is sealed in The Forest of Death in Konoha. The second head, water, is sealed in Amegakure. Which I have already found. " he chuckled, " The third head, lightning, is sealed in Kirigakure. The fourth head, earth, is underneath the bridge of The Land of Waves, named after Naruto, built by Tazuna. The fifth head, light, is hidden Sunagakure. The sixth head, darkness, is sealed in Otogakure. The seventh head, wind, is sealed in Iwagakure. And lastly, the eighth head, ice, is sealed in Kumogakure. "

" Since when did you... " Konan thought out loud.

" Each place where a part of Orochi was sealed was recorded down onto a scroll. This scroll is kept by one unique person only. " Pein did some handseals and nine scrolls appeared on his hands, " And I found them all. "

" So that's the reason why you said kill everyone that came our way. " Konan said, narrowing her eyes, " Because these scrolls won't be given to the important people like the Hokage and the Kazekage, it would all have been too obvious. So many lives had to be sacrificed. What for? "

Hinata was listening and absorbing as much information as she could. She shook slightly too. Orochi seemed so evil and terrible...Why was Pein doing this?

" Konan...I want to create a perfect world. This world has many, many imperfections. To accomplish my dream, I need Orochi to destroy this ugly world and recreate a new one. "

" And how are you going to do that? "

" Orochi needs a pure maiden as a sacrifice. If he is revived without a sacrifice, he will run amok. The person who sacrifices the maiden for Orochi and gain complete control over him. " Pein crossed his arms, " The maiden I'm talking about is Hinata. "

Hinata gasped. _Shoot, not good. _she thought and ran into her new room as fast as she could.

" Hinata! " Konan cried.

" Leave her. " Pein ordered.

" Why didn't we sense any chakra signature? " Konan asked, worriedly.

" Hmm...She's getting good at hiding. You didn't sense her but I did. "

Konan turned, " So you said all that on purpose? "

Pein nodded, " Don't let her escape from here. We need her for the revival of Orochi. " Pein made his scrolls disappear with a 'poof' of smoke and walked out of the room.

" Pein... " Konan murmured, eyes full of sadness.

She clenched her fists. No, she didn't want Hinata to die.Yet, she was always, always loyal to Pein, the Akatsuki's leader. What should she do?_ I will stay in this organization but I will help Hinata escape. _Konan decided as she walked to Hinata's room.

" Hinata? " Konan knocked.

" Go away! " came the muffled reply.

Konan opened the door. She saw Hinata hugging her knees and sobbing.

" Hinata... " Konan walked towards her.

" I said, GO AWAY!! " Hinata screamed as she threw a few kunai at Konan, Byakugan activated automatically.

Konan avoided the kunai, " Listen to me, Hinata, please... "

" Why should I? To think I believed all of your lies for the past two years... " Hinata cried angrily, " I thought you cared for me, I thought of you as a mother!! " a fresh batch of tears flowed down her face.

" Would you listen to me, I want- " Konan started.

" HAKU-NII-SAN!! " Hinata grabbed her head, messing up her long hair.

The teenager appeared in the room. He held three senbon needles in his right hand, glaring at Konan.

" I don't want to fight, Haku, Hinata. You won't be able to beat me. " Konan said, eyes closed.

Suddenly, the whole room exploded, taking Konan by surprise. When the smoke cleared, Hinata and Haku were nowhere to be found. _Damn..._Konan shook her head a few times and got up, hardly injured. _Haku has an excellent sense of time if he pasted all those explosion seals around the room and exploded them when I could neither sense his chakra flowing or see his hands..._Konan thought as she made her way to main hall. She met Pein there.

" Don't tell me she just- " Pein got a nod from Konan.

" Stupid, foolish girl. We'll find her and the boy. Surprisingly they escaped from you, Konan. Ask Deidara to go find Hinata with Tobi. Make sure they get her here by next week. " Pein vanished.

Just then, Deidara walked in with Tobi. One of his arms was held in his hand.

" Where's the little 'un, Hinata? " Deidara asked, " Sasori's dead. "

Konan turned away from him, " Gone...Pein requests that you find her immediately. " Konan walked out of the room, " With Tobi! " she added.

" No way... " Deidara groaned.

" Don't worry, Tobi's a good boy! " Tobi answered cheerfully.

" Shut up. " he growled back.

* * *

Hinata and Haku ran far away from the hideout. Haku looked at his friend who was wiping the tears from her face.

" I don't know where to go, Haku. " Hinata whispered.

" Don't worry, we don't have to belong anywhere to do anything. Let's stop Pein's plan to revive Orochi. " Haku suggested from behind his old mask.

" Mm. You're right. "

Then, they both melted into the darkness of the night...

* * *

That's it! Thanks to all the readers again for bearing with me. The next update will be ASAP! Bye!!


	8. Chapter 8

HHHHEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYY PEOPLE!! I'm hyper on sugar right now!! Thanks so much for the faves, alerts and the reviews! I'm so happy…T-T So I am going to update as fast as I can before my next exam which is in three weeks! Waah! I think my school's crazy! Well, enough about me rambling and let's get on with this story! Thanks for reading! Oh and voting! Whoever did…You have my full thanks. To people who want to vote (it's OK if you don't wanna) the poll is displayed on my profile! Now, before all my faithful readers kill me….Hehe…Here's the story!

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In Konoha, where Kakashi lay on the hospital bed, reading one of his peverted books again, he was told he wouldn't be able to be discharged from the hospital for the next two weeks. Tsunade, the Hokage of Konoha requested that Naruto and Sakura find a new member immediately, for Captain Yamato, an ANBU had been chosen as Team Kakashi's captain. Their next mission was to go find Orochimaru's hideout. Based on the information that Sasori gave Sakura before he died, he was supposed to meet with his spy working under Orochimaru in three days at the Heaven and Earth Bridge. Naruto reluctantly accepted Sai, the emotionless ANBU from the secret group Root, sent by Danzou, into the group. They set off for the bridge, eager to seize the chance to bring back their friend, Uchiha Sasuke.

* * *

Hinata combed her long midnight blue locks, wondering about her future. Haku and her had been traveling for two weeks now and they still haven't found a place to stay. Not that it bothered them. She smiled. She was very grateful for Haku being there for her. If not for him, she would have most likely crumbled. Then, she frowned. She smelt something burning. Hinata quickly ran back to the place where they had set up camp.

" How many times have I told you, Haku-nii-san? Sheesh, leave the cooking to me. You already got a fish burned. Shoo! " she said playfully, making shooing motions with her hands.

" Aaawww. " Haku pouted, " You haven't been yourself Hinata, I thought I'd help you out a bit. " Haku turned serious.

" I'm getting better, thanks to you. " Hinata said silently.

" What did I do? Other than burn half our dinner for tonight. " Haku shrugged.

Hinata raised her eyebrow.

" Fine, fine. I burned half of our dinner every other night too... " he sulked, " I can't cook, so you have to teach me one day. " Haku smiled.

" Silly. " Hinata went over and hugged him, " Thanks. "

They both smelt something burning. They looked at the fire they made.

" Now, I want to say for once! You burned our dinner! Everything! Not even half of it! Doesn't matter I'm not hungry any- OUCH!! Hot! Hot! " Haku jumped.

" Shut up. " Hinata scoffed, after throwing a rather black fish at him.

They laughed hard. It was going to be a long night. As they put out the fire, both heard a rustle. Haku took out a senbon needle while Hinata drew her kunai.

" Oh! Uchiha-san. " Hinata realized as she recognized the chakra signature.

" Do you realize how bloody long I waited? You weren't at the spot we agreed at so I decided to look for you, Hyuuga. " Sasuke emerged from the bushes, speaking coldly.

" Waited for what? " Haku snapped back.

" Oh, I remember! His challenge. Sorry, a lot has been going on. " Hinata apologized.

" I don't give a damn. " he replied.

" What did you say?! " Haku shot back.

" I don't give a damn. " Sasuke repeated.

" Why I outta- " Haku stepped forward.

" Haku-nii-san, cool it. It's OK. It isn't his problem. " Hinata stepped in between the two boys.

" But Hinata... " Haku shook his head after receiving a glare from her, " You're too kind, Hinata. "

" Enough of this nonsense, stop wasting time and fight me, Hyuuga. " Sasuke unsheathed his katana.

" Fine. Haku-nii-san, please, stand back. " Hinata asked.

Haku stood a few paces away from the two. He really didn't like fighting but you have to fight or get killed in this harsh world that they live in. Hinata had Byakugan activated while Sasuke had his Sharingan. Suddenly, they started fighting, at the super speed they both could manage. Haku could only catch a few glimpses of them. Hinata threw a few kunai at Sasuke. He dodged them easily.

" Chidori Nagashi! " Sasuke attacked.

Hinata dived out of the way and revealed her puppet. _I'm not going to fall for the same trick twice. _Sasuke thought and thrust his katana right into Hinata's stomach. The clone melted into a puddle of water as Sasuke scanned the area for Hinata with his Sharingan. All of a sudden, the puppet came alive once more, blasting flames at Sasuke. He jumped away and formed some handseals.

" Katon : Racing Fire!! " a ring of fire formed around Sasuke's body and flew towards Hinata.

" Suiton : Water God Slicer. " Hinata countered.

She stood tiptoeing on her right foot, lifting the other into the air as water started appearing underneath the foot she was standing on. Then, she slammed the other foot down making a splash of water hit the fire ring. The attacks collided, making a lot of steam. Hinata moved swiftly as the water carried her. She was back on on foot, heading straight for Sasuke. Hinata jumped and created another splash of water. Sasuke avoided it, seeing as the water cut right through two gigantic boulders. He slashed the katana right at Hinata who ducked and tried to trip him. He jumped away once more and shot three fireballs at Hinata.

" Suiton : Water Dragon Whip. " Hinata formed a huge ball of water ontop of her.

As the fireballs neared, she waved her hands, creating a long, thin stream of water and whipped them away. Sasuke ran straight into her attack and used Chidori on his blade. Hinata tried to whip him again and again but to no avail, considering the blade, enveloped in electricity had it's sharpness increased to the max.

" Fuuton Ninpou : Divine Wi- " Hinata suddenly got interrupted by some clapping.

Sasuke saw his chance and plunged his katana into Hinata. The body melted into water once more. Hinata appeared again and was standing next to Haku.

" Impressive, Hyuuga Hinata. " Orochimaru emerged from the shadows, still clapping.

" Orochimaru. " Hinata spat out, venomously.

" You shouldn't address Orochimaru-sama like that. Pay him some respect. " Kabuto appeared beside the Snake sannin.

" What do you want? " Haku narrowed his eyes.

" Your cooperation. " Orochimaru replied, smirking.

" Don't tell me...You're also collecting Orochi's heads?! " Haku exclaimed.

" No...But I have found a few. "

" How many? " Hinata asked, warily.

" Three. "

Hinata and Haku gasped. Pein had only found one so far...

" You are interrupting our battle. " Sasuke stepped forward.

" Sorry Sasuke-kun. " Orochimaru grinned maliciously, " I need to talk with Hinata-chan and Haku-kun here. "

Hinata listened in disgust. Haku secretly held a senbon needle.

" No funny stuff. Or it's _your death _on the line. " Kabuto spoke, smirking at Haku.

" Relax Kabuto, these two are trained by the Akatsuki. Haku-kun is the same level as you, Kabuto. Whereas Hinata-chan surpasses you, like Sasuke-kun. " Orochimaru, held him back.

Kabuto scoffed as he righted his glasses, making them catch the glow of the moonlight.

" Seeing that you have nowhere else to go, why don't you join me? " Orochimaru suggested.

" I will NEVER join you. I've heard of you, Orochimaru, and your experiments, right, Haku-nii-san? " Hinata glared.

" I've never heard of anyone that disgusting and cruel. " Haku agreed.

Orochimaru laughed, " You won't be in that. "

" Then? " Hinata and Haku frowned.

" Hinata shall be Sasuke's training partner. Haku will be my tracker. " Orochimaru said.

Sasuke raised one eyebrow at Orochimaru, " I don't need a training partner. "

" Do you want to win against Itachi? " Orochimaru asked, Sasuke stiffened, " If you do, then follow my instructions. "

" Why should we help you? " Hinata snarled.

" You don't have to. Unless you want Konoha destroyed along with your friends. " Kabuto continued.

Hinata hesitated. Sure, she didn't think of Konoha being her home anymore but she didn't want it to be destroyed. She didn't want anything in this world to be destroyed. She clasped her hands together and brought them to her chest, thinking deeply, eyes closed. _Orochimaru is cruel. I do not want to be like him. No way! Maybe, I can accept his offer and secretly destroy the heads of Orochi that Orochimaru found. And Uchiha-san, why doesn't he like having friends? Did something happen last time? Naruto-kun will be so sad if he heard Uchiha-san speaking like this. What about-wait, Orochi and Orochimaru? Hmm..._

" I'll accept if only you answer my questions. " Hinata spoke.

" It depends on what they are. " Orochimaru sighed, bored.

Haku stared at her disbelievingly. She returned his gaze steadily. Haku lowered his eyes, knowing what Hinata was going to do.

" Are you sure about this? " Haku whispered to his friend.

Hinata nodded, " Why does the Akatsuki want to kill you? I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Orochi, ne, _Orochimaru? _" Hinata emphasized.

" I can control Orochi. My ancestors were capable of controlling Orochi then, so I can. Without the use of a sacrificial maiden. "

" Why does the Akatsuki collect the- "

" Jinchuriki? Simple, to eliminate Orochimaru-sama with it's power. " Kabuto snapped.

" Enough questions. Come, let us go to the hideout. Kabuto, Sasuke-kun, Hinata-chan, Haku-kun. " Orochimaru beckoned for them to follow.

Kabuto followed him at once. Sasuke reluctantly did the same as Kabuto, scowling at Kabuto and Orochimaru. Hinata and Haku exchanged glances and took off after them soon after. _Gosh, why is it that all exiled ninjas have hideouts? _Haku mused as they jumped through the forest.

* * *

Like it? I hate fillers!! They're so boring to write...But they have to be written! Otherwise you won't be FILLED in on what happened in any story! Heh...See you guys real soon!


	9. Chapter 9

Hello again! Here's the next chappie! Something's gonna happen in this chapter! Then, again, maybe not. We'll see…Thanks for your reviews once again. It means a lot to me. School holidays start this week!! Whoot!! Now I'll have more time than ever!! So you'll be seeing this story get updated quite soon!! Now, onto with the story!

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Hinata sighed. It had been a week since she and Haku followed Orochimaru to his lair and she didn't like it here. She didn't mind sparring with Sasuke. She didn't mind the simple room that they provided either. What she didn't like were the screaming and the moaning of all the victims when Orochimaru conducted his horrible experiments.

" Are you OK? " Haku appeared.

" Fine... " Hinata's voice trailed off.

" Liar. " Haku said.

" Why must it be like this? People everywhere are always getting hurt. I know you can't prevent it but... " Hinata ran a hand through her hair softly, " I just wish there wouldn't be anymore of- "

Another bloodcurdling scream echoed through the hallways for the third time.

" -this. " Hinata shuddered.

" The hideout is so complex. I still haven't found a single chamber that houses those heads. " Haku whispered.

Ever since they arrived at the hideout, they had been looking for the heads of Orochi but to no avail. Orochimaru's hideout proved to be much more complex than they thought. Not only that, Kabuto told them that every three weeks they must move on to another hideout. At first, Haku tried to argue, why couldn't they stay here? Kabuto scoffed that Hinata was supposed to be for Sasuke's training so she had to follow and wherever she went Haku would go too, except to the bathroom.

" Mmm... " Hinata pondered, " Do you think that they might be kept in scrolls? "

" There's always that problem. " Haku sighed.

" Well, I'm going to see if there's any info I can get. It's my turn to look for those foul heads tonight. " Hinata got up.

" Hey, you got that apple? Can I have it? I'm so hungry. " Haku complained.

" Take it. " Hinata tossed it at him.

The apple sailed through the air and landed right in the middle of a puddle on the window ledge.

Haku sighed, " I said I wanted an apple, but not a wet and dented one. "

Hinata giggled and left the room leaving Haku to clean his apple. She scanned the halls one after another, taking great care not to look suspicious. After she reached the tenth hall or so, she heard a faint voice. As she went closer, she recognized the voice. Eyes wide, she crept through the door. She saw Sasuke cursing.

" Who's there? " Sasuke spoke, drawing his katana.

" Gomen, Uchiha-san. I-I...Um...Ano... " Hinata stammered for the first time in two years, trying to find an excuse.

" Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in your room? " he asked.

" I overheard you cursing. Um...Haku-nii-san and Neji-nii-san says that it's not good to... " her voice trailed off as she looked at her feet.

Sasuke waited.

" To keep all your feelings bottled up inside you. You can tell someone you really trust. Ano...I don't mean me but- "

" Who do I have? " he asked no one in particular, laughing bitterly.

Hinata looked up.

" My whole family was killed, no, slaughtered in one night. This was done by the person whom I trusted most since birth. He will never be forgiven by me. Never. He's a bloodthirsty murderer, that's all. I will kill him to make him pay. I will do anything to achieve it, even if it means to have to train with Orochimaru and give up my body. " Sasuke said, eyes closed.

" I'm-I'm so sorry. " Hinata murmured softly, " Who is he? " she asked, fearing she already knew.

" My brother, Itachi. " Sasuke answered.

Hinata slowly lowered her eyes. Itachi was her teacher. And Sasuke said all of this as if it were just facts of life. His voice didn't show any emotion. At all...

" Uchiha-san? " Hinata began nervously, " Do you- " she gulped, " Do you love your family? "

The teenager was rather thrown off guard by this question. However, he recovered his composure quickly.

" Why do you want to know? " Sasuke questioned her back.

" Because I-I-I- " Hinata mentally slapped herself for stuttering and looked straight into Sasuke's eyes, even though she knew it might bring her certain death, " I care about you! " she squeaked, eyes shut tightly.

Sasuke looked puzzled.

" Uchiha-san doesn't have any friends here, ne? I thought it must be lonesome...It's not fun being alone you know? " Hinata stated with a sad smile, " I never had anyone with me from the start, not even my own family supported me, well, except for Hanabi-chan. Before the Chuunin exams and the time I was kidnapped, Neji-nii-san hated me. I don't think he has stopped but I cared for him. It was unfair the way he got treated just because he was from the Branch family. I tried to talk to him but- "

" Why bother when he hates you? " Sasuke scoffed.

" I didn't need him to like me. I cared for him because I wanted to. It doesn't matter if other people don't like me, I can still care for them and be their friend, ne? " Hinata looked away and fidgeted with her fingers, something she never could stop doing.

Sasuke frowned. This girl's actions puzzled him.

" I never-Otou-san and Okaa-san, they-they thought I was useless, weak and cowardly. They never trusted me in anything. I'm so pathetic and I hate myself for it. " Hinata turned away as a lone tear slid down her cheek.

Sasuke saw that tear. He thought, _Crying? Hmph. Crying is for weaklings. _Hinata slowly exited the room.

" I said too much already. " Hinata whispered, not noticing that Sasuke had heard what she said, " Well, goodnight, Uchiha-san. I won't disturb you anymore. Gomenasai. "

The door closed with a thud, leaving Sasuke alone once more.

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Done for the meanwhile! Thanks for the reviews and votes. See you guys soon!


	10. Chapter 10

Finally I can update! I had some personal issues and a friend was really mean to me…So next chapter coming right up! Sorry for the wait.

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Orochimaru smiled, " So... " he ran his tongue across his lips, " Are you willing? "

Hinata looked down at her feet while Sasuke just stared at Orochimaru. Orochimaru had asked them to assasinate Team Kakashi, which consisted of Yamato, Sai, Naruto and Sakura. Haku was to follow them but he was out looking for some herbs that Hinata wanted. This was to be done after killing Sasori at The Heaven and Earth Bridge. (Sasori is dead but they don't know yet...) Hinata bit her lip.

" I'll do it. " Sasuke said, his voice devoid of any emotion, " But I don't know about Hyuuga here, even though I can manage them myself. "

Hinata inwardly smiled slightly. She had grown used to Sasuke's big ego over the past few weeks. They had trained and sparred so frequently, Hinata and Sasuke both knew almost every one of each others moves. Though Sasuke still remained his cold self.

" I-I'll do it. " Hinata hesitated.

" Good. I'll give you their location after we kill Sasori. You are to follow Kabuto and I to The Heaven and Earth Bridge and set off from there. " Orochimaru hissed.

Thruthfully, Orochimaru and Sasuke were surprised but they didn't show it. Hinata was a good ninja but she wouldn't be a killing-machine. Sasuke knew she cherished her friends a lot, hearing her talk about Naruto, Kiba, Shino, Kurenai often. Hinata would also be caught sighing and talking to herself, asking herself how were her friends doing. Haku merely shook his head, for it had become a habit. Hinata then excused herself and swiftly left the room. When she opened the door of her room, she saw Haku already there waiting for her with a sack.

Haku held out the sack to Hinata, " Here are the herbs! You'd better be thankful! These were- " Haku stopped seeing Hinata's serious face replacing her usual smiling one, " What's wrong? " Haku put the sack on her table.

" I agreed to kill Naruto-kun, Haruno-san, Yamato-san and Sai-kun after we finish off Sasori-sama at The Heaven and Earth Bridge. " Hinata explained, looking down at her feet.

" _You did what?? _" Haku exclaimed, shocked out of his wits.

" Uchiha-san and you will be coming along. "

" W-w-wait, let me get this straight. We, as in, you, me and the Uchiha, are going off to kill your friends? I...don't understand. " Haku muttered with a sigh of defeat.

Hinata shook her head and using her softest voice, she whispered something to Haku. Haku jumped, eyes widening in shock as he digested what Hinata just told him.

" I never would've thought you actually had that in mind. Gee, Hinata. " Haku grinned sheepishly.

Hinata merely smiled, " Go to your own room and rest. We'll be leaving in two days. " she said in her soft and gentle voice.

Haku bid Hinata a goodnight and went off. Hinata sat on her windowsill, wondering what would Sakura and Naruto say if they saw her with Orochimaru.

The next morning...

Hinata woke up feeling strangely excited. As she cleaned herself up, she remembered she was going to see Naruto and the rest of Team 7. _Calm down, Hinata. Don't do anything rash. Don't look suspicious. Don't fidget. And most of all, DON'T let Orochimaru or Kabuto find out that Team 7 means anything to you! If they did, they will use them against you! _Hinata thought, scolding herself. As Hinata went down the stairs, she bumped into Karin. Hinata had only seen Karin from afar, she didn't really know her except that she was crazy for Sasuke and deadly jealous of her being able to spar and train with Sasuke when no one else was allowed to. Karin sent her a death glare, sending shivers down Hinata's spine. The hate in her eyes were so intense that Hinata thought, _If looks could kill, I would be dead now from the way Karin is looking at me..._

" What do you think you're doing here, Hyuuga? " Karin asked, imperiously.

" I'm preparing breakfast. " Hinata murmured softly, heading to the kitchen.

Even though, Orochimaru, Kabuto, Sasuke and many others were S-class criminals, including Karin, they couldn't do the one simple thing - cook. Take aways were not so bad but it deteriorated their health because they were not getting all the nutrients, malnutrition, goitre and a few other diseases, that also consisted of night-blindness, which can mean death to a ninja. So, Hinata had to take over. Hinata finished preparing the rice, miso soup and pickled fish, a normal Japanese breakfast. She took some upstairs to her room.

" Ah! Breakfast! I was getting hungry y'know... " Haku sighed as he picked up the chopsticks and separated them, " Itadakimasu! "

Hinata went downstairs once more to search for something in the kitchen. As she came down again, she saw Karin flirting with Sasuke. Her jaw fell open but she quickly closed it without another sound and looked away embarrassed. The way Karin flirted made her uneasy. She made her way to the cupboards and started to look around. After searching all the cupboards thoroughly, she let out a frustrated sigh. Sasuke who was calmly ignoring Karin and eating breakfast raised his eyebrow.

" Hyuuga. " Sasuke called.

Hinata jumped and muttered a small 'eep', (she couldn't get rid of that habit either), before turning around.

" Hai? (Yes?) " Hinata answered, recieving another death glare from Karin.

" What're you looking for? " Sasuke asked.

" Uh...Uh...A pot. A pot to boil herbs in. " Hinata replied flabbergasted.

" Why? "

" I wanted to make some of my family's special healing ointment before we go tomorrow but..., " Hinata bit her lip, " I can't find the right pot. Some are to big and some are too small. Some aren't made of the right material. "

Sasuke swiftly went to a hidden cupboard that Hinata had missed and brought out a rather large, pot made out of clay, " Is this OK? "

" Ah... " Hinata breathed still rather stunned by what Sasuke had just done.

Sasuke cleared his throat after Hinata didn't respond to his question for five whole minutes.

" Ah, Hai!! Absolutely!! Arigatou (Thank you), Uchiha-san. " Hinata snapped back to attention, deftly taking the pot from Sasuke.

Just when she was doing that, their fingers lightly touched, causing Hinata to jump, and slightly startling Sasuke. Hinata blushed and stared at her feet.

" Sumimasen. (Excuse me) " Hinata went up yet again.

" Well, I'm glad that she's outta the way. " Karin purred.

Sasuke didn't take any notice of the redhead. He was focusing on his fingers-the place where Hinata had accidentally touched him. He put his other cold hand to touch the spot...It was still warm...

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" This is what we have to do. Sakura, please describe to me as best as you can - How was Sasori's attitude like? " Yamato asked the pink-haired teen.

" He was very emotionless most of the time. He was rough and...yeah rough. Oh, he hates waiting. " Sakura said after thinking for a while.

" OK, here goes. Tranformation Jutsu! " a cloud of smoke covered Yamato and disappeared after a few minutes.

Presto, an exact Sasori look-alike.

" Wah! You really look like him, Captain Yamato!! " Naruto exclaimed.

Sai remained silent.

" Now the voice. Say stop when I've hit the right pitch. " Yamato took a deep breath and began vocalising, from a high pitch to a low one.

" Stop. You've got it, Captain Yamato. " Sakura said after Yamato hit a particularly deep and slightly raspy tone.

" Sugoy...(Amazing) " Naruto breathed, " Even the voice too! "

" Alright, " Yamato said in Sasori's voice, " Here's the plan, when I give the signal, you three come out and fight. "

The three teens nodded seriously. For Naruto and Sakura, this was the only chance to find Sasuke for now, they MUST NOT mess up in any way. Sai had other purposes, he had to make a deal with Orochimaru for Danzou, the leader of the ANBU Root. However, his true mission was to assassinate Uchiha Sasuke, the infamous missing-nin from Konoha. He was next on the list of Sai's bingo book. This secret was kept to himself for obvious reasons.

" Then, let's go! " Yamato started to move.

" Wait! " Sakura called.

" What? " Naruto asked.

" Sasori is meaner than that. " Sakura held her chin thoughtfully.

" Oh, OK...Move it then! " Yamato commanded.

" That's better. " Sakura smirked and set off followed by Naruto and Sai.

When they reached the bridge, Yamato stood right in the middle waiting for Sasori's spy. Naruto, Sakura, and Sai stayed in the bushes a few meters away with the wind blowing against them. This spot was strategically chosen for the view and the long branches lush with leaves to keep them hidden. They waited...and waited...and waited...

" Man, when are they gonna come? This is gettin' borin' " Naruto grumbled.

" Can't you ever be more patient? Mataku...(Geez), I seriously am thinking to- " Sakura started.

" Look. " Sai spoke, in a rather hushed voice.

" Who do you think he is? " Naruto growled out lowly.

" Shh. "

Back over to Yamato's side...

" Ahh...Sasori. " Kabuto took of his cloak.

_It's Kabuto!! _the three teens in hiding thought. Yamato narrowed his eyes.

" You've kept me waiting. I hate waiting. " Yamato spoke.

" Hai. Sorry, sorry. Here's the information that you asked for. " Kabuto handed over a scroll to Yamato.

" Hm... " Yamato grunted, " So how's Orochimaru? "

" Fine, but we have to change hideouts once every three weeks, with Sasuke following us. " Kabuto smirked, a hand behind his back.

" Well- " Yamato got interrupted as Kabuto unleashed a Chakra Scapel on him, cutting the puppets head off.

_Shit! _Yamato cursed.

" Hmm? What do we have here? " Kabuto raised his eyebrow.

" Seems to me like an imposter, Kabuto. " Orochimaru appeared and cocked his head to one side, " You can also call out those three brats behind there. "

Yamato's eyes widened before he returned to his senses and gave the signal. Sakura, Sai and Naruto jumped out into the open. Naruto was snarling, while Sakura and Sai remained impassive. Four pairs of eyes were fixed on Orochimaru and Kabuto.

" Hmph. " Orochimaru scoffed, " I have also brought a few people with me...Although they are much, _much _better than hiding than your brats. "

A _whoosh_ was heard before all four Konoha ninja gasped in surprise.

" Sasuke? " Naruto breathed disbelievingly, then he turned to another teenage girl - one he knew so well, " Hinata? "

" Haku? The one we killed? Impossible! " Sakura exclaimed.

Sai remained silent. So was Sasuke, Hinata and Haku.

" Go. " Orochimaru ordered.

" RUN!! " Yamato shouted and took off followed by Sakura and Sai.

" Let's go, Naruto!! " Sakura grabbed Naruto's collar and lunged away.

" Hmph. " Sasuke scoffed and took after them with ease.

Hinata and Haku exchanged glances and followed suit. As the Konoha ninja skidded to a stop, Sasuke, Hinata and Haku burst out of the trees seconds later.

" Teme!! You idiot!! Stop going to Orochimaru!! What's wrong with you?! What about the time we fought?! If you really didn't care about me like you said, why did you let me live?? " Naruto screamed out, tears streaming down his face.

" I will do anything to get my revenge even if it means giving my body to Orochimaru. I will kill my brother if it's the last thing I do. Hate makes you invincible. Therefore, I have a bond of hate with my brother. All the other bonds only confuse you, that is why I have relinquished them. You shouldn't have spent all your time chasing after me. Instead, you should have worked on becoming the Hokage. And about that time, I let you live on a whim. Any more questions? " Sasuke's cold voice cut through the air.

" Damn it... " Naruto cursed silently.

" Naruto-kun... " Hinata murmured, distressed.

" Hinata! Why are you with Orochimaru?! Come back to us! " Naruto turned to his other long-lost friend.

" My place is not in Konoha anymore. I do not need anyone's help to grow stronger. I have Haku-nii-san and Uchiha-san here. I do not need to go to Konoha. " Hinata said, softly.

Sasuke turned to her, what was she saying? Why him? It's annoying...He then turned back to his so-called opponents. He could defeat them with three attacks. Just three.

" Three? I say two. " Hinata smiled.

They sparred each other for so long, they instantly knew what the other was thinking during battle. Haku rolled his eyes. Yamato looked puzzled. These three were like a family.

" You're on. " he smirked and jumped off the tree branch.

Hinata did the same.

Haku sighed, " Here we go again. "

Sasuke drew his katana in mid-air while Hinata twirled gracefully and took out her puppet. Both of them were falling straight towards the four Konoha ninjas. What was going to happen next?

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Sorry, sorry, sorry!! I had no time to update, my schedule been so tight. To make up for it, I made an extra long chappie. Enjoy! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Keep the comments and the constructive criticisms and comments coming! This is greatly appreciated! Thanks. Ja ne!!


	11. Chapter 11

Hello everyone!! Thanks for all the reviews!! I really, really, REALLY appreciate them all. Thanks for the story favorites and the story alerts. Here's the next chappie you've all been waiting for!

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Sasuke moved at breakneck speed, plunging his katana into what he thought was Naruto's body. He was very much surprised when he found out that it was blocked by...Hinata?!

" What the hell are you doing? " he hissed.

Haku smirked to himself. Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato were stunned to silence. First, the way Hinata matched up to Sasuke. Then, she stood in front of Naruto with her puppet's arms blocking the katana confidently. Sasuke raised his eyebrow.

_Why? _he asked her, irritated and slightly confused.

_Because they are everything to me...If you destroy them, you destroy me..._ Hinata answered, sad.

_And do I even care?_ Sasuke stared back at her.

_I know not much about you...But I know, you are a good person...Even if you tried to hide it...I-_

" Shut up! " Sasuke snarled and thrust his katana at her. Hinata swiftly evaded it.

_I believe you, Uchiha-san...I believe in you...I know- _she stopped when she had to evade another lethal jab from Sasuke. Naruto and the others were plainly confused. Haku frowned, then he remembered he himself had work to do.

" Run you idiots! Hinata's giving you a chance to run! " Haku roared.

" Let's go! " Yamato ordered, taking off and dragging both Sakura and Naruto while Sai stood rooted to the spot.

" Sai, what are you doing?! " Yamato shouted.

(Sorry, sorry, just to inform you guys...Sai hasn't talked much about bonds to Naruto so he's still going to kill Sasuke...)

Sai unrolled a sheet of parchment and drew on it, " Ninpou : Chojuu Giga. "

A gigantic bird picked him up and flew to the sky. He drew his short sword. Yamato rushed back to the scene, followed by Naruto and Sakura.

" What the hell are you doing, Sai!? " Naruto screamed.

_Move aside Hyuuga...I'm going to kill them, whether you like it or not. _Sasuke stated and leaped at the bird. Sharingan activated, he lunged at Sai. Sai ducked and tried to trip Sasuke. Sasuke jumped and shot three fireballs, effectively destroying the bird - which dissolved into harmless ink.

Sai fell through the trees landing on his feet and rushed at Sasuke who stood calmly in front of him. Blue lighting appeared on Sasuke's blade and he slashed at Sai, who got shoved aside by Hinata.

" Annoying... " Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Hinata lowered her eyes, which were glistening with tears, " Run Sai! All of you run!! " Hinata screamed, voice hoarse.

" That won't stop me. " Sasuke dashed off.

Hinata merely shook her head as she took off after the raven-haired introvert followed by Haku. Haku stole a quick glanced at Hinata, getting increasingly worried. As Sasuke managed to successfully stab Yamato's shoulder with Chidori Nagashi enhancing his blade. Hinata pulled it out, causing the captain to grunt in pain. With one hand she controlled the puppet and the other she healed Yamato's gash with amazing speed.

" Amazing...I thought only Tsunade-sama and Kabuto knew how to do that. " Sakura said, eyes wide with disbelief.

" Give it up. They are not important. " Sasuke said to Hinata and ran to Sakura, " Katon : Grand Fireball Jutsu. "

A huge fireball was thrown right at Sakura, who could only stare in horror. Hinata appeared right in front of her.

" Suiton : Water Dragon! " Hinata countered, putting out the fireball. The water dragon hovered in the air. It was BIG.

" Wow, Hinata is so skilled now! "

As both the teenagers fought, only Hinata noticed Sai creeping up on Sasuke's back. Hinata was surprised, thinking that Sasuke must've sensed him already. _I've already told you! don't call me a kind person! I am nothing of what you say!! _Sasuke roared in his mind at Hinata. Hinata flinched, tears threatening to fall from her eyes, _No!! I don't believe that, Uchiha-san!! I believe everyone has good in them!! Everyone!! Even your brother! _the moment she thought that, she knew it was a mistake. Sasuke's rage worsened whenever she mentioned Itachi. Of all the worst times she had to speak about Itachi! Sasuke plunged his katana into one of her water clones, destroying it. As he turned around and plunged his katana in once more, time seemed to slow down for him. He watched Hinata stand behind him, her face facing his, a sword sticking out of her stomach, her blood spurting out from her new wound and mouth. It was Sai's sword sticking out from her stomach...And it was his sticking out of her back.

" HINATA!! " Haku screamed rushing to her.

A tear...A fresh warm tear fell onto Sasuke's wrist. His mouth was slightly open in shock as he felt Hinata's tear on his wrist.

" I believe you are a kind person, Uchiha-san...You're just afraid to show it... " Hinata spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, " You are a good person... " she coughed up some more blood as Sai let go of the hilt of his sword.

With that, Hinata collapsed onto Sasuke's arms, staining his clothes a deep red with her blood. Haku slowly lifted her from him.

" You bastard!! I never should have trusted you!! " Haku glared at him, tears streaming down his face.

" No...Haku-nii-san...It's not...It's not his fault...Don't...Don't blame...Uchiha...san... " Hinata's voice trailed away.

" Let's take her back to Konoha! It's the only way we can save her!! " Yamato ordered.

" Anything to keep her alive... " Haku said and set off.

Naruto grabbed Sai's collar and growled, " You're coming with us! " with that, he dragged Sai with him.

" Sasuke-kun... " Sakura murmured, hurt present in her voice and left.

Sasuke stood in the clearing alone, his mouth set into a grim line. His clothes red with Hinata's blood...His hands stained with her blood...Forever...

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How did you guys like it? I think I liked writing this chappie!! Plus...I loved the chapter ending! For those of you who want to find out what going to happen, please read on! Yes, this chapter's a bit short but I think I don't want to change it... I just noticed something...I cliffhanged again!! Don't kill me -makes puppy eyes- WAAAHHHH!! -runs far,far, away- A few comments would be nice!! You don't have to if you don't wanna, thanks for reading anyways!!


	12. Chapter 12

Hey all! Good to see you again! Thanks for all the faves! I'm so happy! Don't forget that anyone of you are able to make criticisms. Don't hold back! Ugh…Sorry for not updating cos I have an exam next week again! I swear, I think my school's trying to kill all of us! Well, enough of that and back to the story. I will try as hard as I can to make the chapters longer. Don't expect too much in one go however. I think I'll gradually increase the length as time goes by…Remember people, I DON'T OWN NARUTO!! Sadly.

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Tsunade was having a nice drink of sake. All her paperwork had been done, a miracle to both her and Shizune. She took another sip and sighed. Nothing could get better th-

" Tsunade-obaa-chan!! We need your help! " Naruto burst in her office.

" What the- " Tsunade stopped and saw Hinata drenched with blood in Haku's arms.

" Please! Save her! " Haku begged, carrying Hinata's still and lifeless body.

" Oh, hell...SHIZUNE!! " Tsunade roared.

" Yes Tsunade-sa-Ah!! What hap- " Shizune got cut short.

" No time to ask questions!! Prep the operating room! Get the nurses!! Find me those chakra threads for sowing up wounds! Sakura get your butt here and help me!! And for God's sake DON'T JUST STAND THERE PEOPLE!! " Tsunade took Hinata's body and rushed after her apprentice with Sakura following behind.

Haku sighed, worried out of his mind, " Hinata. "

" Tsunade-sama's not here right? We'll just have to wait then...for your explaination, Sai. " Yamato glowered at the Sasuke look alike.

" Why are they so special to you anyway? " Sai asked Naruto nonchalantly.

" You... " Naruto grabbed Sai's collar, " You...need to have a friend. Then, you will know what it feels like to lose one. " Naruto let go of Sai and left the Hokage tower.

" Well...That was unexpected. " Yamato sighed.

" He failed to get Sasuke back right? That means he should be hit pretty hard. " Haku said, " Speaking of Sasuke...I'm never letting Hinata go near him again. " Haku muttered, " Then again, I can't stop her from defeating me and going after him...This is not good. " he sighed.

" I was trained not to have feelings. How am I not supposed to apply what I learned since young? " Sai said to himself.

" Well, I've got nothing better to do...I'll help you cause I can't do anything for Hinata but to worry and pray. Let's start shall we? " Haku smiled, softly.

Sai nodded.

" I need to get a drink. Think you can handle him if he tries to escape? " Yamato stood at the door.

" I trust he won't. " Haku replied as Yamato left.

Sai merely watched, wondering why had Haku trusted him so fast when he was also one of the people who hurt Hinata.

Meanwhile...

Tsunade called upon her green healing chakra as fast as she could. _She is not going to die in my hands! I will not allow it! Hinata, live!!_

" Shizune! How's the situation? " Tsunade asked.

" She's lost a lot of blood, Tsunade-sama. Her abdomen is badly injured. So is her spine. There's a 50-50 chance that she'll actually survive the first night back at Konoha... "

" Well, we'll just have to make her live, ne, Shizune? " Tsunade smiled softly.

Shizune nodded.

After a whole week of struggling and healing, Hinata survived but just barely. Considering her fragile health at this state, Tsunade moved her to a big hospital room and let no one see her but Shizune and herself. This afternoon was no different.

" Konichiwa, Hinata. " Shizune greeted her cheerfully.

" Hello. " Hinata smiled, " Thank you...so much for taking care of me and saving me. How is Haku-nii doing? "

" Oh, he's complaining about Tsunade-sama's rule of letting no one in to visit you. He's not the only one. " Shizune laughed.

" Really, who else? "

" There's Sakura, Naruto, and Kurenai. " Shizune poured some soup out from a thermos and handed it to the Hyuuga.

" K-Kurenai-sensei? " Hinata whispered almost inaudibly.

" Yeah. I'll be going now, Hinata. Call me if you need anything. By the way, Tsunade-sama will be coming at three in the afternoon. Be prepared. " Shizune shut the door.

Hinata chuckled softly to herself. She knew a lot about Tsunade-sama ever since she was a genin. She shared a special bond with the gambling-obsessed blond Hokage. Hinata activated her Byakugan and assessed the damage her body took. _Three fractures, internal bleeding and a broken leg._ Hinata thought and sighed, _I won't be moving for a while..._Hinata then tried to use her chakra to heal herself. After several tries at healing herself, she had only successfully managed to stop the internal bleeding and collapsed exhausted.

" Hinata? "

Hinata opened her eyes wearily. She looked around. The sky was a brilliant orange. It was about three o'clock.

" Hinata. " that voice called again.

Hinata saw the Hokage standing over her bed. She sat up slowly, wincing at the pain.

" How are you, Hinata? I haven't seen you these past two years. What happened? " Tsunade frowned.

Hinata opened her mouth then closed it again. She fidgeted with her fingers, thinking of what to say.

" Hinata, you know I won't tell anyone. " Tsunade grinned.

" Will I have to stay in Konoha? " Hinata asked, " And who told Kurenai-sensei about me coming back? "

" I'll have to fight with the darn council for that. " Tsunade groaned, " I'm the one who told Kurenai about you. "

" Why?? I'm going to leave secretly in a week. So the first problem is solved. It'll make it harder for me to leave knowing that Kurenai-sensei will have to say goodbye to me. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. " Hinata mumbled.

" Hahaha...Still the same old you. You're much, much different than before but still the same kind-hearted young woman I know. " Tsunade laughed.

" How's my family? " Hinata asked, " Neji-nii and Hanabi-chan? "

Tsunade's face turned grave and she looked out the window.

" Tsunade-sama? "

" Hinata...The Hyuuga clan is on the brink of war. " Tsunade sighed, " The Main family and the Branch family are about to collide. "

" _What? _" Hinata gasped, eyes wide, " B-but, what happened? "

" The Main family wanted to make Hanabi the heir to the clan. " Tsunade spoke, " Then, the Branch family argued and said that you were kidnapped and that your body was not found, so you weren't dead. "

Hinata looked away, touched that the Branch family had so much trust in her.

" Hanabi didn't want to join in the arguement. Neji, however, argued for you. "

Hinata only had one question, " Why? "

" You didn't notice it did you? The Branch family love you...because you were _kind to them._ " Tsunade pointed to her, " Hinata, let me ask you something, the Main family taught you to be unmerciful, cold and cruel, ne? " Hinata nodded while Tsunade smiled knowingly, " Well, the rest of the Main family treated the Branch family like dirt. Not only that, they placed the Caged Bird seal on every one of them. "

Hinata nodded again, " Why would kindness do so much? "

" Because, Hinata, you gave them hope that maybe, just maybe, that the Hyuuga might have a new leader that could change the traditions and in doing so help them release their suffering. "

" Oh. "

" Well, you have to do something, right? I mean, you're supposed to be the next heir. "

" I don't want to be the next heir... " Hinata mumbled, " I don't want to stay in Konoha. " Seeing the surprised expression on Tsunade's face, she quickly continued, "Haku-nii-san and I have a mission to complete. A secret mission. It isn't because I hate Konoha. I love this place. It's my home. " Hinata looked out the window.

Tsunade smiled then hesitated, " Uh...Hinata? There's something a need to tell you... " she began and swallowed nervously when Hinata looked at her, " Your...your father...he disowned you after you disappeared. Claiming you were too weak and stupid, he announced that you were no longer his daughter. "

" I expected that. "

Tsunade gaped. Is this really the Hinata she knew? The one who always came to her crying when she got scolded by her father?

" You don't have to feel bad for me. I'm OK. " Hinata smiled, gently.

" That doesn't mean that you aren't the next heir, you know. You can still claim the clan, however you will have to fight Hiashi, your father for your right. " Tsunade managed to speak.

" I'll see what happens first. "

" By the way, what about your side of the story? "

Hinata then told Tsunade almost everything about her adventures. Some she didn't utter, like Sasuke, Orochimaru, the reviving technique she used on Haku and most importantly Orochi, the eight-headed monster that the Akatsuki wanted to find. After hearing everything, Tsunade said goodbye to Hinata and went out the door in a daze. She couldn't believe how much Hinata had changed. The once little, nervous girl had been replaced with a much stronger attitude and a quiet demeanor that radiated confidance.

" I need a drink. " Tsunade went to her office rubbing her temples.

" Hokage-sama! " a voice shot through the halls.

" Huh? Neji? What are you- "

" Is Hinata-sama back?! " he cut her off.

" Yes, she is. Wait... who the hell told you?! " Tsunade exclaimed.

" Naruto. "

" That stupid boy! I'll definitely strangle him, pulverize him, and disembowel him, heal him and do it all over again!! God damn it! When does the brat learn to keep his mouth shut?! " Tsunade roared.

" Can I visit her? " Neji asked.

" Fine, go. But let no one else in! " Tsunade said, " She's not really in the state to receive visitors yet. "

Neji left without a word and went into Hinata's room.

" Hinata...sama. " Neji's voice trailed off.

Hinata had grown so much these past two years. Her eyes shone with unlimited wisdom, sadness and even burdens. Her long midnight-blue hair reached her waist and she was _still_ twiddling her fingers.

" Hinata-sama. " Neji called again, walking towards her.

" Neji-nii!! " Hinata quickly sat up.

Neji took a chair and sat down beside the bed. Hinata looked at him with tears in her eyes. A few of them escaped her eyes but she did not move. She knew her cousin was not a touchy-feely sort of person and did not want to make any action that would disturb the already fragile bond she had with him. To her surprise, he was the one that proceeded to actually _hug her._

" N-Neji-nii!! " Hinata gasped and relaxed in his arms, " Thank you. "

" I missed you, you baka. I missed my cousin. The one I was supposed to protect. " Neji mumbled in Hinata's hair.

(For those of you who are thinking incest, no, I don't write incest stories but in my country, cousins have an especially close bond with each other! I'm sure some of you will agree with me! Sorry to those who feel offended! )

" I'm sorry. " Hinata hugged him back, knowing it took a lot for the cold genius, Neji to even think about saying those type of things, " I missed you too. "

Neji let go of her with one of his extremely rare wry smiles one his face. Hinata retold what she had told Tsunade to her cousin so that he would get a vague picture on what she had been doing the past two years. He, in turn, filled her in on the Hyuuga clan.

" Hiashi-san, or Uncle has been preparing for war. I, of course am from the Branch family and Hanabi from the Main. I've never gotten close to Hanabi but I don't like the thought of killing her. " the serious face came back, " Hinata-sama, the Branch family supports you as the new clan leader but Hiashi does not want that so he proclaimed war. " Neji explained.

" _My father?? Proclaimed war??_ " Hinata blinked, " Why? "

" No one knows. He's been taking Main family members into his compound and they were never to be seen again. The Main family thinks he's possessed and they don't like it but they follow him for fear of their lives. The Branch family thinks he's gone mad. He has gone mad. You can see him, talking to himself nowadays. "

" Ye-es...It seems so. " Hinata pondered.

" We need you, Hinata. Please prevent the clan from falling. "

" I'll go. "

" Good. "

For the rest of the week, Hinata was allowed visitors. Kurenai and Haku came first along with Kiba, Akamaru and Shino. They had been introduced to each other by the Hokage and hung out with each other while waiting for the 'go-signal' to visit Hinata. Naruto, Yamato and Sai came next, with Sai trying to be kind as he had a LONG, LONG, chat with Haku the other night. Sakura, however, didn't come at all.

* * *

At the gates of Konoha, two people wearing cloaks with a red cloud design on them stepped in lightly. They weren't seen, no.

" We're back here, again. Lousy Konoha. " the first one grumbled, fumbling with his hat.

" We have to catch a prey. A very elusive prey. Stop complaining. " the second one shot back calmly, no emotion present in his voice at all.

* * *

Well, I'm done!! I'm so happy. I'm making the chappies longer! Enjoy! Oh! Guess which members of the Akatsuki came! It's reeeeeaaaaaaaaaallllllllyyyyy easy! I gave like one clue which says it all! See you! Thanks for reading! P.S. whoever guesses right will get a cookie!


	13. Chapter 13

Hello again! How are all of you good people? My one-week school holiday is about to end! NNNNOOOO!! clears throat Eh-hem, enough about that. Let's get to the story. Oh, and the query I gave the other time, two people got the correct answer! Let's give a hand to CaramelDucky and June-Avatar11!! Congratulations, you two. Here have a cookie throws several cookies to CaramelDucky and June-Avatar11's direction. Enjoy! Oh, and for those who tried and didn't get the right answer, don't worry. May your flames of youth shine brighter than ever after this mission! Enjoy this chappie, readers!

* * *

" Well, this sucks. " Naruto stated.

" Why on earth would he do that? " Haku banged his fist on the hospital table.

" I'm not sure... " Hinata's voice trailed off as she paced back and forth in the room, " Neji-nii said that my father proclaimed war. I think there's something else. " Hinata looked at Haku.

" You don't think- "

" Yes, Haku. I do. " Hinata frowned.

" Umm...Care to explain? " Naruto scratched the back of his head.

" It's nothing. " Hinata and Haku answered quickly.

" Hinata? " Shizune came through the door.

" Yes, Shizune-san? "

" You're gonna be released from the hospital today. " Shizune grinned, " Finally, huh? After two weeks. "

" Oh, really? Thank you so much! " Hinata bowed.

" Of course, you can go anytime you want. " Shizune went out.

" I suggest we go now, Hinata. " Haku jumped out the window.

" Alright. " Hinata nodded, " Naruto-kun, you stay at your place. Tell Kurenai-sensei I'll meet her before I leave, please? " Hinata asked.

" Sure, I'll do it. Believe it! " Naruto exclaimed.

As Hinata and Haku jumped from rooftop to rooftop, they saw Neji waiting for them at the training grounds. They landed in front of him. His face was grave.

" Come with me. " was all Neji said.

Hinata and Haku exchanged anxious glances and followed Neji into the dense forest. After a while, they came upon a small door.

" I remember this door! " Hinata murmured, " I always sneaked out here to train. "

" Huh? " Haku cocked his head to the right in puzzlement.

" This is a hidden door to the Hyuuga Main House. I need you two to listen and stay extremely quiet. " Neji commanded softly.

They did what Neji told them to do and heard strange sounds coming from the House. Hinata could tell that there was only one person in the house and that person was her father.

" I will never surrender to you! You stay away from my nephew and daughter, you hear?! " Hiashi's deep voice came booming through the door.

Hinata and Neji both jerked their heads up in surprise. They had never heard Hiashi speak like that before. Haku closed his eyes and listened harder.

" Hahaha... " a different voice came from Hiashi's mouth.

The voice was extremely deep and had a raspy quality to it. It sounded evil, very evil. This voice sent chills down the spines of the three spies. Hinata shuddered.

" Don't you worry, Hiashi. Your precious daughter and nephew will come to me... " the voice spoke, " Then, I will give you the pleasure of watching yourself kill them. " the voice cackled again.

" No! I. Will. Not. Let. You. " Hinata, Haku, and Neji heard Hiashi say through what it seemed like gritted teeth.

" Too bad, ninja! I've already won! " the voice exclaimed.

Suddenly, Hinata felt horrible. Her vision blurred and her feet gave way beneath her causing her to fall onto Neji's side. At the same time, Hiashi let out a agonizing scream. He screamed over and over again, as if in terrible pain. Hinata's breathing labored and she fell unconscious in Neji's arms. She didn't even hear her cousin and her best friend hissed her name countless times. All she heard was the evil laughter...One that she knew very well...Neji and Haku sprinted away from the hiding spot and were about to charge into the Hokage's Tower to call for Tsunade. However, Hinata grabbed Neji's arm and shook her head. Indicating that she was waking up already. They laid her down on the training grounds and waited.

" God, that was painful. " Hinata groaned.

" Hinata-sama! Good grief!! You gave both Haku-san and I a fright! What the hell happened to you?! " Neji spoke angrily.

" Should I tell him, Haku? " Hinata turned her weary eyes to Haku.

Haku's eyes widened, " You mean that was- " he got cut off by Hinata holding his mouth shut.

" That was what? " Neji glared at both Hinata and Haku.

" Wait, Neji-nii. Let me tell Haku what happened to me just now. Then, I will explain everything on two conditions. One, you tell no one, even under severe torture. Two, let me do whatever I want to after hearing everything. " Hinata said, standing firm.

" Fine. " Neji snapped.

" Well? " Haku eyed Hinata worriedly.

Hinata took a deep breath, " During the time I heard the second voice which came from father's mouth, I saw something. It wasn't in front of me, but I saw it with mind's eye. "

" Mind's eye? " Neji questioned.

" She has two pairs of sight actually. " Haku explained, " One, is her normal eyesight enhanced with Byakugan, your kekkei genkai. Two, she sees things through her mind's eye. Her mind's eye can catch something above human. Like, she can actually see the- " Haku swallowed, " -the Kyuubi with her mind's eye inside Naruto-san. "

" What? " Neji stared at Hinata, " No, don't worry. I already know about Naruto having the Kyuubi inside him. I was told by Hokage-sama. I still will see Naruto as a comrade and a friend, without a doubt. " he said, seeing the worried looks on both their faces, " What I was shocked about was that Hinata-sama had this power. "

" Why? " Hinata asked.

" Because Hinata-sama, when I was five, Hiashi-sama told me something extremely disturbing. " Neji said, " One in every hundred Hyuuga had this power. This 'inner sight' as we call it could see demons within the Jinchuriki, holy beings, and of course...Whatever that possesed Hiashi-sama. " Neji said, " Hiashi-sama didn't want to tell you yet, as you should develop the power on your own. To do that, he had to treat you much more coldly and harshly to give you independence and confidence to activate it. " Neji looked away, " I guess I should have told you before to ease your suffering. "

" No, don't be sorry, Neji-nii. You did what you had to do. " Hinata held his shoulder.

" So that's why... " Haku nodded, " Who else has this power? "

" Besides from our ancestors, the only ones who had this power so far is Hinata-sama and her mother. "

" Okaa-san? " Hinata gaped.

Neji nodded, " It is my regret to say that after seeing Hiashi one day, before all this madness started, she gave a cry, rushed out of the Hyuuga Main House, spasmed and died soon after. I saw all of this but could do nothing to help her. That is why we need you to explain what's going on. "

" Okaa-san... " Hinata whispered, a tear falling down her cheek. She swiped it away, " Alright, I will. The creature I saw...was a black shadow with eight dragon heads. "

" Orochi! But how!? " Haku sat up.

" I also saw a small square-looking charm with the word 'Yami' on it. Yami ia darkness, which almost always represents evil. The charm was found by my father about a month ago. It actually contains the soul of Orochi. Without it, Pein _would not be able to revive Orochi. _He'll just get the body, that's it. The charm showed me everything that happened after father discovered it. " Hinata said, eyes shining.

" OK. Now we know what's causing the problem. But what the hell is Orochi? And who the hell is Pein? " Neji rubbed his temples.

" Language, Neji-nii. " Hinata smacked his arm.

Haku proceeded to tell him of Pein's plans and the fearsome creature Orochi. He also told that Hinata was to be a sacrifice for it.

" I will absolutely not let you go! " Neji destroyed a tree.

" Neji-nii. I have to. You cannot stop me. I said I would tell you everything if you were to let me do whatever I wanted to. " Hinata stood up as well.

" Fine. "

" Wha? " Hinata looked at her cousin.

" I said fine. " Neji turned to look at her, " You have grown strong, Hinata-sama. " he said with a small smile.

Hinata returned the smile with one of her own. Haku slowly stepped back to let the cousins enjoy their moment.

" First, we have to get the charm out of his hands. Literally. " Hinata said, " He always holds it in his left hand with an inhuman grip. It'll take drastic measures to get it out... " Hinata turned serious.

Haku swallowed nervously, " How drastic? "

" Chopping off his hand, drastic. "

Haku shuddered. They agreed to initiate the plan tomorrow. Hinata went to Sakura's apartment. She and Haku were staying there for the whole time they were in Konoha. Sakura didn't really talk to them much. In fact, she downright avoided them. One could only wonder why. Then, that night, when Haku was asleep and Hinata was in her room, wondering how to get the Orochi charm away from her father, Sakura came into Hinata's room.

" Haruno-san! Do you need anything? " Hinata asked.

" I want to know what you did with Sasuke-kun when you were with him. " Sakura said, voice firm.

Hinata flinched, " Why? "

" Because I love him. " Sakura replied.

Hearin Sasuke's name brought a lot of memories back to Hinata. She wasn't really sure whether she wanted to remember all of them. She felt rather sad whenever his name was uttered though.

" Oh...Nothing much. We were training partners, that was it. " Hinata shrugged.

" You were? Oh, I see. " Sakura tossed her head.

" What about Naruto? Don't you love him too? " Hinata forced the words out of her mouth.

" Naruto? I...I just can't decide at the moment. I just don't know... " Sakura covered her face with both hands.

" Haruno-san... "

" Please, call me Sakura. "

" Oh, OK. Sakura, you have plenty of time to decide. Uchiha-san's changed a lot now. I'm not sure you would want to meet him in this state. "

" What do you mean? " Sakura asked.

" He's emotionless now. I believe that maybe someone that can crack open his shell. Someone that's neither you or me... " Hinata said.

" I see. I still can try, right? " Sakura smiled a little.

" Yeah... "

" Sorry for the way I treated you. I just had to get over the jealously that was blinding me. Please, can we be friends and comrades? " Sakura held out her hand, grinning.

" Sure thing, Sakura. " Hinata shook the hand.

* * *

The next day, Hinata, Neji, and Haku met up at the Hyuuga Main House gates.

" Let's go. " Hinata said and went in.

The other two followed her, ready to fight.

" Sssoooo... They have come. " the sinister Orochi spoke from Hiashi's body, " Hinata-hime...You have kept me waiting too long. " he grinned maliciously.

* * *

Well, that's it for now! Remember, a comment or two would be lovely. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it! Ja!


	14. Chapter 14

Hi again! I'd just like to say a very, very BIG thank you to all the people who have read the story and even took their time to review it. I'm extremely happy cause I never expected this story to reach over 100 reviews!! I'll try my best to make the readers enjoy the story much more than they are enjoying now! However, there's a downfall… My BIG exam is in 29 days and counting, so hopefully the readers can forgive for slow updating as I have yet to continue my studies… After that, I WILL BE FREE TO DO HOWEVER MUCH WRITING I WANT!! SQUEE!! Seriously, I don't own Naruto, OK? Go sue someone else!

Oh by the way, give a big round of applause to _**lovingo0Kawaii0oGirl**_ for being the _**100**__**th**__** reviewer!!**_ You deserve a cookie!! Or two? XP

* * *

" H-Hi-Hinata-sama! You're back! " one of the servants stammered at the Hyuuga.

Hinata, Haku and Neji were currently at the kitchen. They wanted a bit more information on Hiashi's behaviour before attacking.

" Yes, Yuki. Please, I'm rather in a hurry. Could you tell me anything that happened these past few months I was gone? What's wrong with Otou-sama? " Hinata asked gently.

" H-Hiashi-sama's gone mad! Mad! There's been shouts and screams all night...Ever since he found that-that charm. " Yuki's voice lowered to a whisper.

" Where did he find it? " Hinata asked, already knowing the answer.

" It was buried under the Hyuuga Main house, in Hiashi-sama's room. Rumour has it that no one was supposed to touch it except the ones who had the 'gift'. Whoever else finds it will have eternal hell and die a painful death. It is said to contain a soul... " Yuki whimpered.

Haku and Neji exchanged worried looks.

" Take me to my father. " Hinata said.

" I-I cannot Hinata-sama. You and I will be killed! " Yuki gasped, horrified. " He drinks human blood now, claiming that it is for sacrifice. "

" Tell me where he is then. "

" In his room, like always. " Yuki bowed, shaking. " Forgive me, Hinata-sama. I said too much already. I will retire to my quarters. My mind is unsettled. " she left quickly, yet silently, without another word.

" OK, Yuki seemed she was scared shitless. Do you know how Orochi fights? " Haku turned to Hinata.

" Language! " Hinata smacked him on the head. " I'm not sure, but we might as well find out. I think- "

" Hinata-chan!! " a booming voice was heard.

" Naruto-kun! " Hinata whirled around. " What are you doing here? "

" Naruto-baka wanted to visit you. I decided to tag along. " Sakura grinned. " Why is it so eerily quiet? " she frowned.

" Um... " Hinata bit her lip.

" Hinata-chan? What's wrong? " Naruto said, forehead creased with worry.

Just at that moment, a frightful roar burst through the halls. The Hyuuga compound shook and the pillars holding the ancient buildings up groaned. Bits of concrete and dust flew around everywhere making the ninja shield their eyes.

" No! " Hinata sprinted towards her father's room.

" What the- What was that? " Sakura asked, rather shaken.

" Let's go! " Haku shot off in Hinata's direction.

Neji, Naruto and Sakura did the same. They were greeted with the same horrible sight that Hinata and Haku saw. Hiashi's eyes were bloodshot, rather than the normal pale violet eyes a Hyuuga normally has, and the very pupils were red. He was hunched over really low on his chair and the scariest part of it all was the grotesque shadow of eight heads sticking out of his back.

" Hinata-hime, you have come. " an extremely deep and raspy voice came from Hiashi's mouth. " I see you brought along some worldlings too. "

" Otou-sama... " Hinata murmured. " What did you do to Otou-sama?! " she shouted angrily.

" Oh, him? We sent him on a little trip to hell... " One of the eight heads laughed. " The legend of the Hyuuga family stated that whoever had the gift would not be possesed by us. We were unleashed the same time as the Kyuubi. So we have a profound connection with it. However, we are still the most powerful and with a roar we can summon the Kyuubi's chakra straight out of the boy's body. " another head sneered. " We are almighty! "

" You... " Neji ground his teeth together.

" Worldlings have no use in this battle, so I'll keep them busy. " yet another head continued. " Arise, Kyuubi! " all eight heads roared.

" Raargh!! " Naruto shouted in agony and fell to his knees. When he got up again, his eyes were a demonic red and an orange cloak of chakra coated his body. He snarled.

" Naruto! " Sakura screamed. " No! "

" Naruto-kun! " Hinata ran to him but was only to be blocked by a translucent, purple colored force field.

Orochi laughed as Hinata pounded the shield with chakra infused strikes. Nothing happened. She tried her wind jutsu on it. Nothing...

" Let me go!! " Hinata screamed at the over towering shadow.

" The battle is between you and me, Hinata-hime. Since your mother died before she could teach you to use your inner sight, you stand no chance. The worldlings will be kept busy with the Jinchuuriki so you don't have to worry. " Orochi grinned revealing eight mouths full of gleaming teeth, ready to tear.

" There it is! Finally! " another voice boomed across the house.

It was one voice Hinata knew very well.

" Kisame-sama! " Hinata gasped.

" Well, hey there, squirt! Enjoying your play time with Orochi? " Kisame grinned.

" You lied to me! All of you did! " Hinata's eyes burned with anger.

Naruto gave a roar and charged towards Haku. Haku quickly dodged and threw senbon needles at the Kyuubi container. This was of no use because the needles simply evaporated within inches of the orange chakra. Haku cursed under his breath. They had to battle Orochi, Kyuubi and now the Akatsuki. How the fuck were they going to pull through? No idea.

" Get the charm Kisame. I'll go for the Kyuubi. " another very low and commanding voice came into the scene.

" Itachi-sama... " Hinata hissed.

Itachi merely glanced at her before looking back at Naruto, who had three tails formed already. This was so not going to be easy for the Konoha-nin. Kisame walked up to the force field and swung his entire sword, Samehada at it. With a thundering crack, the shield broke apart allowing Kisame to walk in before it regenerated. Itachi stepped in as well.

" Hm? You're quite good. I take it that your leader is summoning me? " Orochi growled out.

" Yeah, I need the charm. " Kisame held his sword rather wary of the shadow.

" I will not let you have it! " Hinata shouted. " Never! You can't just summon Orochi like that! Everyone will die once he wreaks havoc! "

" Look, squirt, whatever Pein-sama wants, he has to get it. Otherwise, we die, OK? End of story. " Kisame snapped.

" Human... You have to kill the one I am possessing first. Then, you need someone with willpower or no emotions at all to bring it back to wherever your abode is. If not... " Orochi gave a chuckle. " You could end up just like him. "

Kisame looked at Hiashi, who now had blood and gruel coming out of his mouth. Nope, he definitely did not want to become like that.

" The one with the sharingan is a good choice. Or you can choose the princess... " Orochi snarled. " Hurry, my patience is wearing thin. "

" Give me the charm. " Itachi commanded firmly, holding out his hand.

Meanwhile, outside the force field...

" Damn it! " Neji sweared. " Haku! Try to get Naruto to attack Orochi! "

" And how do you want me to do that?! " Haku retorted avoiding a chakra blast that incinerated half the Hyuuga compound.

" Just do it! " Neji shouted back.

Sakura just stood there horrified. She didn't know what to do. her super-strength and her healing abilities were off little use now. She watched Naruto as his skin started to peel off like the last time. She shook her head and sobbed. Sakura didn't want to see Naruto in pain again. She didn't want him to suffer. _What's this strong feeling? _Sakura thought. Naruto roared again and attacked with a chakra ball. More skin was peeling off. Now, blood was combining with his cloak. Sakura couldn't stand it anymore. She wasn't going to be useless!

" Naruto!! Stop it! Just stop it, OK?! Enough! " Sakura ran towards him.

" Haruno-san! " Haku gasped.

Naruto slowly turned to look at Sakura. With demonic eyes he watched her, the stubborn, strong-willed Sakura was sobbing, sobbing on his shoulder, holding his arms back with her insane strength by hugging him from behind. The smell of burning flesh was soon present in the air. He growled lowly.

" Enough... " Sakura sobbed as blood poured down her arms but she still held on. " Enough. Don't hurt yourself again. Stop. "

Naruto's Demon Fox cloak gradually disappeared as his eyes returned to their bright blue colour. His skin was half gone but he was still not so badly injured. As Sakura let go of Naruto, she fell onto his arms. The flesh on her arms were half-eaten away from the corrosive chakra.

" Sakura-chan... " Naruto held her. " I'm sorry... I'm sorry. " Tears fell down his cheeks. " You will pay for this Orochi! You hear?! " he growled at Orochi who merely ignored him.

" Right now, we need to get her healed. Hinata's still trapped inside the shield. " Haku spoke to Naruto.

" Where's Kakashi-sensei when you need him?! " Naruto roared.

" Right here. " the silver headed jounin appeared before his very eyes.

" Ah! " Naruto recoiled.

" No one could miss the destruction here, isn't that right, Asuma, Kurenai, Gai? " Kakashi frowned as his comrades appeared beside him. " What on earth happened? "

" Hinata! " Kurenai exclaimed in horror.

" In a nutshell, there are two Akatsukis here who want to do something with that _thing. _Sakura-chan is badly injured and Hinata-chan is trapped inside!! " Naruto shouted angrily.

" Naruto, go to the hospital and get the hokage to heal both you and Sakura. " Kakashi said. " We'll take care of this. "

" But I want to fight! " Naruto shot back.

" You are in no condition to fight. Furthermore, Sakura is bleeding profusely, are you going to let her die? " Kakashi spat.

Naruto looked at his feet, ashamed.

" Go. " Kakashi turned back to Orochi and the forcefield.

Naruto sprinted away as fast as he could. He _had to save Sakura_, no matter what he did.

Back inside the forcefield...

Hinata charged at Itachi who was still holding out his hand. A second later, she was blocked by Samehada.

" Sorry, squirt. Can't let you interfere. " Kisame grinned.

" Suiton : Water Explosion! " Hinata screamed.

A huge wave of water literally exploded around Hinata and she jumped, landing neatly on the wave. Kisame followed, holding his sword. Itachi merely stepped onto it, staring at Orochi.

" You forgot so fast? My element is water. " Kisame threw his sword.

" No, I need this element. " Hinata said.

The heiress dashed forward on the water, faster than she ever could on land. Kisame formed sharks with the water around him and made them pounce Hinata. Hinata jumoed away and still ran for Itachi. The sharks followed her as she got ever closer to the Sharingan user. Suddenly, she turned around and threw clay at the sharks, exploding them away. Twisting again, she tried to aim her jyuuken at Itachi but Kisame threw Samehada at her, forcing her to avoid it. She took out her puppet and unleashed a pillar of flame towards Kisame. Kisame called his sword back to him and stomp on the water, making it surge. The flame was put out just as fast. Hinata ran towards him and tried to use her jyuuken but every time she got near, he quickly got out of the way.

" Suiton : Deadly Waters. " Hinata whispered.

The water around them grew dark. Like a mini raging sea, it splashed forward and backwards. The water crackled with electricity enough to kill a person. Itachi remained as calm as ever, still holding out his hand to receive the amulet.

" Open the hand of the Hyuuga and take it from him. " Orochi spoke in his deep, raspy voice. " Your Sharingan is futile, use your own hands Uchiha. "

Kisame looked around him, the waters were deadly alright. He quickly figured the technique out. It was in some places that the elctricity was carefully placed. As long as he didn't step on those places, which were a lot mind you, he'd be safe. He jumped from spot to spot trying to reach the dashing Hinata again. Kisame then had an idea. He slammed his sword into the water. Samehada worked it's magic alright, it absorbed the chakra created lightning leaving the water safe once more. After that, he threw his sword at Hinata, who avoided it again but got slightly burned by the lightning discharge coming from the sword itself. She stopped and healed her wound. Kisame ran towards her and planted himself directly in between Itachi and Hinata.

" You have grown much more stronger and are much more fun to fight than the wimp I first knew, squirt. " he grinned maliciously.

To every other person, that grin seemed malicious. However, Hinata had trained under him for a long time. Her Byakugan had observed every single one of his emotions running through his face. Hinata saw a geniune smile coming from Kisame. His tone was slightly softer, as if he was really fond of her. What she heard and saw literally meant that Kisame was proud of who he had trained though he couldn't hold back on her, as his leader had ordered. This was further confirmed when Hinata caught a hint of regret in those beady eyes. She hesitated for a fraction of a second.

" Lie. " Her eyes hardened and she somersaulted back a few feet. " Suiton : Siren's Curse(1)!! " Hinata shouted.

The water around them swirled once more. This time, it took the form of a beautiful woman. The woman smiled and started to sing in a soft but low tune. Her voice was husky and alluring, the melody was beautiful. Kisame stared in a daze as his ears captured the very essence of the melody. Hinata worked her way around him to try and stop Itachi who seemingly wasn't effected by the jutsu. As Itachi reached for the hand of Hyuuga Hiashi, he drew it back suddenly. This was intended because had he not made that movement, his hand would've been severed by a very angry Hinata using her puppet. However, Kisame wasn't in the Akatsuki for nothing. he snapped out of the daze and swung his sword at the Siren, destroying it. Then, as he turned around, Hinata unleashed thousands of tiny needles from her puppet, each dripping with a different poison in their direction. Kisame used his sword to block for both his partner and himself.

" Hurry up already! " Kisame snapped at Itachi.

Itachi ignored his partner and Hinata as he strained to open the clenched hand (though it did not show on his face), revealing the charm in all it's evil glory. It dripped with blood and stank of rotten flesh. He saw that the hand holding it was no more than a skeleton inside, flesh corroded away by the charm's power only.

" NO! " Hinata screamed.

* * *

" What kind of shield is this? " Kakashi panted after using his second Chidori on it.

" Damn it, Hinata! " Kurenai hissed, greatly concerned for her student.

" Giving up so fast, my youthful rival? " Gai said with a spark in his eye, flashing his teeth.

The shield from the outside view gave nothing away. It was a huge black wall. No one could fanthom what was happening inside. Asuma held his chin thoughtfully. _There must be a small, very small, weak point to it. I can't know where it is but it must surely be there. _

" You thought of the same thing already? " Kakashi asked.

" So have I. " Kurenai's eyes narrowed as she felt the shield.

" Be quick, soulful comrade. We shall unleash our flames of youth! " Gai announced.

None of them knew how much Gai's words meant at the moment.

* * *

Itachi stared nonchalantly at the young woman holding his wrist. Her face was flushed with anger as she held it tight, keeping him from reaching the charm. Her face was hidden by her hair : she knew not to look at his face, knowing the consequences all too well.

" I will not let you, Itachi-sama. " Hinata whispered.

* * *

There, don't you all just love cliffhangers? I'm done for the meanwhile. Sorry it took so long, what with the studies and the homework. The site went crazy too. It didn't let me save because I hadn't logged in but I did, so I found out that my whole freakin' battle scene was gone for this chapter. Not only that, I didn't have a spare in the computer as I was working on my dad's computer. Life's unfair. Fear not, I rewrote the whole thing and if I remember tha last one correctly, this one's a bit better. Hope you guys liked it! Ciao.


	15. Chapter 15

Hello people! Whew! My exam is FINALLY over! Now, I can get back to my dear fanfiction… If you want to know the extent of Hinata and Haku's powers, then you can read the description below after you finish reading this chapter! The Akatsuki's powers have not changed. Naruto and Sakura, plus all the other characters remain the same. Oh, and Hinata's inner sight will be explained vaguely or too many spoilers will be revealed! By the way, I'm sorry about the last chapter, I forgot to explain what a Siren is. I'll do it in the Hinata description section.

You know I don't own Naruto, right? Cause if I did, Hinata would have been in Naruto's group! Don't get me wrong, I don't mind Sakura… She's good in her way. I don't want to get into a Sakura/Hinata hater department. Be nice, OK?

* * *

" Fool. " Itachi closed his eyes.

Hinata stood her ground, not daring to look anywhere else but her feet. Itachi flipped her over roughly. While she was still in the air, he threw a punch at her abdomen, sending her flying back. She spat blood out and turned around only to find Itachi already behind her. He punched her face, kicked her back, kneed her abdomen once more, palmed her ribs, cracking three of them, and hit her stomach with his palm. Itachi's taijutsu was fast and strong, too much for Hinata to handle yet. More blood flowed out her mouth as she was flung straight to the wall of the force field. The entire thing shuddered and broke apart, letting the four jounin outside see Orochi in all it's glory. Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma stared at it in horror. They couldn't help but be surprised as the force field shielded everything inside it from the outside eyes.

" Kill him, human. He's of no use to me anymore. Next time we meet Hinata-hime, you will submit to me without restraint. Then, we shall rule this world." One of Orochi's heads turned to Hinata.

" NO! " Hinata struggled to stand, tears streaming down her face.

Time slowed for the her as she saw Kisame lift up Samehada and with a great swing he severed Hyuuga Hiashi's head off. The bloodied body fell to the ground from the chair and the head rolled several feet away, leaving a trail of slime and blood, painting death on the floor. Itachi had somehow snatched the charm away with his hidden speed and grace then disappeared in a puff of smoke along with Kisame.

" OTOU-SAMA! " Hinata's anguished scream echoed throughout Konoha...

* * *

" I see. " Tsunade sighed. " It was a pity to lose Hyuuga Hiashi, even though I disliked the man for treating Hinata that way, he had no right to die like that... It was too cruel. "

Kurenai looked out the window. Asuma, Kakashi, and Gai were still at the battle area searching for something, anything to help their situation right now. Hinata had collapsed after seeing her father beheaded, pain in both mind and body engulfed her until she was in a world of darkness. Kurenai had rushed her to the Hokage's office while her other comrades stayed. Neji and Haku were getting treatment from the other medic-nins, waiting anxiously for Hinata, who was currently still in the Hokage's office.

" I agree. Whatever the Akatsuki is planning, it must be something big. Thing is, their plans are so hard to decipher. Hinata will have to help this time by giving us some information on them. " Kurenai watched as Tsunade continued to heal Hinata, green chakra flowing here and there.

Shizune had flown out of the room to get a bed as Hinata couldn't be moved because her condition was too serious. Tsunade hovered over her and shook her head.

" She will be fine. However, there's one thing even the greatest medic ninjas cannot heal. " Tsunade called off her chakra and turned to Kurenai. " Her mind is suffering... Losing her father in such a way has hurt her deeply. It has probably crippled her mind. It definitely will be a scar on her soul and there's nothing we can do about it. We'll just have to pray that she'll be strong enough to pull through without falling into depression. I'm sorry, Kurenai. " Tsunade held Kurenai's shoulder and walked out of the office. " I have some other people to attend to. Let no one visit her for the first 24 hours. You should leave soon, as well. Let her think. Give her the time to be alone. Then, you can see her... but for now, it's not the right time. " Tsunade shut the door.

Kurenai looked at her student fondly. Hinata was covered in bandages with her long hair spread out like a fan on the white pillow. The Ice Queen of Konoha tried to fight back her tears as she replayed what had happened at the Hyuuga Manor... She took a last look at Hinata as she was being wheeled to the ICU unit by Shizune before exiting the office.

* * *

Hinata opened her eyes to the bright morning sunlight. Tears oozed of her eyes in a tired way as her mind replayed the scene of her father's death over and over again. Hinata looked around the room in dismay, not knowing what to do anymore. Most of her fighting spirit had ebbed. Her mother was hardly around when she was young but during training, so she saw a lot of her father. Hinata had grown to love her father no matter how much she was abused by him. She hugged her knees and stared absent-mindlessly out the window. A bird fluttered by, beating it's wings gently. _How lucky it is... To be like that bird, free of all worry and sadness. _Hinata thought miserably.

" Who goes there? " Hinata asked gently, voice laced with pain.

" Impressive, Hinata-san. To think that you could sense my presence among you. I'm an ANBU agent. " A body materialized in front of her bed.

Hinata studied the ANBU carefully. Judging from the voice and the body build, it was a man. He was wearing a cat mask. The ANBU proceeded to take something out from his pocket. Hinata tensed, ready to fight.

" I'm not here to do anything to you, Hinata-san. " The ANBU revealed an envolope. " I presume your father passed away yesterday and they will be having the funeral once you recover. "

" Why do you want to know?! You don't need to know, OK?!! Just leave me alone! " Hinata snapped. Her eyes widened, it wasn't like her to snap at people like that. In a tight, gentler voice as an apology, she continued, " It's none of your buisness, is it, ANBU agent? "

" Your father had entrusted me with something very important, Hinata-san. I, of course, have not read the contents of this letter but I can assure with my life that it was written in Hyuuga Hiashi's own hand. He wanted you to have it once he passed away. " The ANBU held the letter out.

" How do you know that you're not lying? " Hinata took the envelope and eyed it carefully.

" If you really must know, he gave it to me when he was... not himself. " The ANBU sighed. " Besides, the Hyuuga clan seal is imprinted on the envelope. Nobody else has the Hyuuga seal except for the clan leader himself, ne? "

Sure enough, the caged bird seal was on the paper, marking it property of the Hyuuga family.

Hinata looked at him, shocked out of her wits, " You mean to say... that you knew that he was being controlled by... by Orochi? " her voice was so soft that the ANBU had to strain to hear it.

" Yes. I am a spy for the Hyuuga Head. Starting now, I will work for you in secret as you will inherit the clan. No one except the Hyuuga Head would know that there will be a personal spy. Except the Hokage, of course. Then again, the Hokage herself knows almost everything, including the missions, Hiashi-sama has given me from time to time. She would be silent lest it was unreasonable. This one though, was Hiashi-sama's personal mission. " he said with a wry smile. " It is tradition that the Hyuuga Head has just one ANBU agent working under him or her. I shall leave you to read that letter, Hinata... sama. " he bowed and flew out the window once more.

Hinata carefully tore open the envelope with her shaking hands, wondering what her deceased father written on this precious piece of parchment...

_My dear daughter,_

_First off, I'd like to apologize deeply to you for treating you so harshly. Normally, the 'gift' or what the Hyuuga call the Golden Eyes chooses the person by random. As you should know by now, the Golden Eyes can only 'awaken' when a person is treated harsh enough to be wise and understand how to use the power itself. Some Hyuuga look at it as a blessing... but for others, it is a curse. Your mother had the Golden Eyes herself. I don't know how she got it but she did, to my utmost surprise. However, she foresaw that you would have the Golden Eyes at the brink of her death. She also muttered something about a 'black over towering shadow' that would be in your future and would kill you whenever it had the chance. That shadow represented all evil and your mother begged me to activate your gift as fast as I could. You were at a tender age of two at that time, waiting in your room and I couldn't bear to treat you coldly at all for I loved you too much, my dear Hinata... I do not think you would remember anything of this incident. You must be wondering, if your mother had died when you were two, who was the woman taking care of you all this while and claiming that she was your mother? She was your aunt, your mother's direct sister. I had no choice to treat you harshly, for that is the sad truth of the power. You must feel great pain or sadness in order to be wise enough to gain the power and use it properly. I love you. I loved you so much but I couldn't bear you to die later so I did what I hated to do. I wanted to say it to you infinite times but I couldn't. No, one word would be enough to set back all the hard work your mother had done to convince me to treat you as if your were trash. But you're never trash, you will always be my lovely daughter, who is never weak. That day, when you got kidnapped, I was heartbroken along with the rest of the family. Though I did not show it, I hoped that somehow you were alive and continued my efforts to awaken the Golden Eyes in you. Then... I found Orochi's charm. The charm that our ancestors had sealed away with the last of their powers. Our ancestors had the Golden Eyes as well, my daughter. Since I did not have the particular gift, I was immediately possessed by Orochi's soul. He tortured me and he still is. Orochi is possessing me now, but I managed to ward him off with the last of my strength to write this letter, for I am dying._

Hinata looked up and found her face once again drenched in her salty tears. She made no move to wipe them but continued reading her fathers elegant writing.

_While being possessed by Orochi I had also treated your aunt cruelly, but that was Orochi's bidding. To both the demon's and my surprise, your aunt had the Golden Eyes as well. Alas, she did not know how to use it and she didn't even hear of it at all. Seeing Orochi's spirit inside me brought her so much terror, she flew out of the house shrieking. Orochi ended her life without a second thought. I am glad that I had the chance to write this letter. Who knows? I may die before you come back to Konoha. How I wished I could see you grow up into a beautiful woman, just like your mother. Your mother and your aunt were both very devoted to you, even though they came from the Branch family. Yes, quite a shock is it? I couldn't help the Branch family at all, even though I was clan head. If I did, the elders of the Hyuuga clan threatened to take your mother from me. Life is cruel, it is true. However, my daughter, everyone of us has the strength to pull through no matter how hard life can be! Do not be frail. Do not mourn over me, child, for I am just an old man. You have a bright future ahead of you, defeat Orochi! I'm sure you can do it! That... doesn't really sound like me, but to give my children the encouragement needed, I will do such embarrassing things. Hanabi is safe with the Hokage. I think Tsunade never really liked me anyhow. But that does not matter, trust Shadow, our ANBU companion who gave this letter to you. Inherit the Hyuuga clan and change our old traditions to free the Branch family. That is all._

_There are many more things which I want to pen down but I am weary and Orochi is not giving me a moments rest. I'm sorry for all the pain and sadness I have caused you, Hinata. I am not even worthy to be called your father though I wish I could. You will always be my daughter. My kind, strong and beautiful daughter. Thank you, Hinata. Thank you for not bearing a grudge against me all these years. If you forgive me now, I thank you. Most of all, thank you for being my daughter._

_I will always be proud of you._

_Your... father,_

_Hyuuga Hiashi._

The signature was signed with her fathers blood. She was so happy yet crushed at the same time. Not knowing that her father actually loved her all these years. Not spending more time with him. Not telling him that she, too, loved him even when she didn't know any of this. More tears spilled out of her eyes. She clenched her right fist, laying the letter on her lap, she tried to summon her chakra to heal herself. Nothing happened. She tried again. Nothing.

Frowning in confusion she called, " Shadow. "

The ANBU appeared in front of her again, " What is it, Hinata-sama? "

" Why doesn't my chakra work? " Hinata asked, rather anxious.

" Because Tsunade-sama has ordered Neji-san to cut off your chakra, knowing that once you woke up, you would try to heal yourself. " Shadow answered.

" Your real name is not to be revealed, yes? " Hinata turned to him, wiping her tear-laden face.

" Yes, you may call me Shadow. "

" Neko (Cat). " Hinata smiled.

" Hinata-sama, of all means, please _do not_ call me that. I really detest that name, and this mask. " the ANBU spoke through gritted teeth.

Hinata nodded, " I presume that Neji-nii and Hanabi-chan does not know of any of this? "

Shadow shook his head, " Hiashi-sama would prefer that both Neji-san and Hanabi-san knew but it is your wish to tell them, he had said. "

" I see. " Hinata looked at her hands. " Shadow, I want you to take this letter and put it in the secret Hyuuga storage room. You should know where it is. After that, bring both Hanabi-chan and Neji-nii there and have them read that letter. " She ordered in a soft voice.

" Understood. Anything else, Hinata-sama? "

" Get both of them to find the remaining survivors of the Hyuuga clan and gather them. Let Neji-nii be the clan head instead of me for the meanwhile. I need to kill or at least seal the demon that caused carnage among my clan. Let Hanabi-chan and Neji-nii believe you without revealing your true identity. I trust you to do that? "

" Hai (Yes.) "

" You may leave. "

" So like your father, Hinata-sama. " the ANBU chuckled and poofed away, leaving nothing to see.

" Arigatou, Shadow. You have my trust and my thanks. " Hinata smiled to herself then groaned. " How long am I going to be here_ this_ time? "

* * *

**Hinata's Profile**

**Age : 16**

**Chakra Type : Water**

**Elemental Jutsu : Extremely skilled in handling water, she knows one wind jutsu that she learned by herself and can only control lightning in one jutsu. Most of her water techniques were created by herself but the basic ones and the Water Explosion Jutsu was taught by Kisame. The Deadly Waters Jutsu was created by herself when she wanted to devise a strategy to fight numerous opponents at the same time. Haku had suggested her to combine both lightning and water. It took her nine months to complete this technique. This jutsu requires the most effort and concentration as it requires her to manipulate both a vast amount of water and the element that she is least familiar with; lightning. Though this does not tire her too much because of her enormous chakra reserves (also taught and increased during harsh training from Kisame). **

**Other Abilities : Hinata has also mastered the skill of puppetry, thanks to Sasori. She can control up to two puppets on two fingers, thought she prefers not to. Anymore, she loses control of all of them completely. She dislikes using real human bodies for puppets like Sasori, so she built her own one made out of wood. After a few tries, she managed to make Viper, a puppet that has four hands and three legs covered in spikes. It can shoot thousands of dangerous, poison-tipped senbon needles from both arms, can wield it's own katana and unleash a column of flame from it's belly. Figuring that one puppet would be the best, she didn't make another. Other surprises are not going to be revealed. Deidara has also taught her how to use explosive clay. She cannot mold them as fast as Deidara so she usually uses them for far-range attacks and escaping. Konan helped her with origami, which has now become Hinata's hobby and passion. She's still making many more things to help her in battle. However, the paper does not work when it is wet. She also learned how to use the Chakra Scalpel from a scroll but she can't compare to Kabuto in that skill. Her capability in healing others is almost as good as Kabuto and Tsunade. The forbidden Life-Resurrection jutsu is a technique she mastered in two years and no other souls besides Haku knows about it. Itachi taught her taijutsu and several genjutsu techniques, Kakuzu taught her accounts, Hidan taught her swear words (she didn't want to learn Jashinism), Tobi taught her how to laugh again, and Zetsu taught her the value of silence.  
**

**Kekkei Genkai : Her Hyuuga fighting style is average but she can still perform her Jyuuken quite well. Her Byakugan is like any other Hyuuga. Her Golden Eyes can see demons within one's body, protect her from the charm's influence and do many more amazing things which will not be revealed until later on. **

**Weakness : I'll tell you guys only one that should be quite obvious so far. The rest are a secret. Her Taijutsu is rather... crappy. Sure, Hinata can hit you with chakra infused strikes, but she is more fast, not strong. She excels elemental jutsu and puppetry but will not last more than ten minutes in a close combat fight. That is why, she always tries to get at least ten feet away from her opponent before she fights. She knows the basics well enough though. Itachi always punishes her with Tsukiyomi after a round of taijutsu.**

**Haku's Profile**

**Age : 17**

**Chakra Type : Water and Wind**

**Elemental Jutsu : He's mastered his kekkei genkai perfectly thanks to Kisame and Sasori (who taught him about chakra control). He can also create anything with ice and knows a number of water jutsus. He doesn't particularly focus on wind but he knows a few wind jutsus too. Ice, however, still has it's limits.**

**Other Abilities : His accuracy is extreme, he can throw a senbon needle at almost any point with a diameter of 1cm. He is better than Hinata in extracting poisons but he can't heal much. His taijutsu is good, much better than Hinata's. It looks as if he's gentle in taijutsu but he holds great strength when he applies his chakra into the hits and letting everything out at the exact moment he hits. He can use explosive clay and puppets but his skill in that is average. He, however, excels in origami, almost as good as Konan herself (making Hinata envious but not for long). ****He can use one hand to perform a variety of simple to moderate jutsus.**

**Kekkei Genkai : I believe I've spoken about it in the Elemental Jutsu part. ^^**

**Weakness : He is rather slow but he has a good balance. He has quite low chakra reserves making it difficult for him to perform long jutsus.

* * *

**There you have it! Please take note that everyone else in the other genin teams last time like, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, Neji, Tenten, Ino, etc... are all at the age of 16. Now, all of you know that Hinata and Haku are very strong but I shall make it a point, they are not super or invincible. There are some weaknesses that can cause their deaths. Hinata is as strong as Sasuke if you want to know. Thank you so much for reading!!! I really love you guys! I'm really, really, sorry for the past spelling and grammar mistakes that you had to read and promise to try to reduce them to none in the future!

See ya!


	16. Chapter 16

Greetings minna-san! God, I thought I would have loads of time during the holidays but each day is packed with activities. I also have to concentrate on drawing manga too! I just make the hands look awful! Argh! T_T However, I'm still thinking of my stories up on . I had several ideas ready for this chappie but I just couldn't decide on which one. My mom has always called me fickle when it came to my stories. Heh. Sorry for making you guys put up with me but I have finally decided! Thanks for reading! ;) THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED NARUTO SHIPPUDEN YET!!!

P.S. Sirens were three dangerous bird-women, portrayed as seductresses, who lived on an island called Sirenum scopuli. They look like half bird and half woman. Sirens have very seductive bodies and enchanting voices. Their beautiful songs lull men only. Hinata created the Siren jutsu herself if she ever came face to face with a man she couldn't defeat. Her siren is just a normal woman. Hey, water sculpting is hard y'know! ^^

* * *

" Do you think it was a good idea to leave so fast, Hinata? " Haku asked.

" No... " Hinata sighed. " I don't know. "

The duo were jumping through tree tops rushing on to find a squad that were facing the most dangerous enemies in the ninja world. The Akatsuki. They had no time, no time at all, yet they rushed on, tensed with a sense of fear and anxiety.

" I think you and Sakura-san could become great friends. " Haku said.

" Really? " Hinata asked, feeling guilty. " Both Naruto and Sakura seemed so sad when I left."

_Flashback_

**" What? Why? " Naruto whined. " What is Granny Tsunade thinking? Sending you off on a mission so soon... " **

**" I... I'm sorry, Naruto. " Hinata lowered her eyes, seeing the sadness in those aquamarine orbs.**

**" You have to leave when? " Sakura's forehead creased with worry.**

**" Now. " Haku answered for her.**

**" Oh, I was hoping to get to know each other more... " Sakura's voice trailed off.**

**" Don't worry, Sakura. " Hinata smiled. " I enjoyed it very much when you visited me everyday at the hospital. We have exchanged stories of our lives so far and I do hope we can continue. "**

**_Well, I didn't really tell her about Orochi, the Akatsuki, and Uchiha-san. _Hinata thought, sweat-dropping. _I only told her about me childhood until I got kidnapped. She didn't ask about anything else. She is kind and she understands that I'll tell her when I want to. But even then... Does that really count as sharing stories of our lives? Maybe I'm being too poetic..._  
**

**" Hope? " Sakura asked. " Of course we will! You better be warned! " **

**" You see, I might die... " Hinata murmured. " We might die, right, Haku-nii-san? "**

**" Yep. "**

**Sakura and Naruto fell silent. **

**" No! You can't die! " Naruto grabbed Hinata's shoulders and stared intently into her pale lavender eyes. " You can't die. Make sure that you don't. " **

**Hinata blushed at the contact. Haku and Sakura stared at Naruto's sudden outburst. Naruto seemed to realise what he had done and quickly let go of Hinata, rubbing the back of his head and laughing nervously. Sakura turned back to both of them.  
**

**" I... want you to make a promise to us. Whatever happens... Don't die, got it? " Sakura glared. " Or else, I'll torture you in afterlife and give you hell in Hell. " she cracked her knuckles.**

**" H-Hai! " Hinata shrunk away from her.**

**_Scary..._ That one thought ran through Haku's mind for the next five minutes as they left.**

_End of Flashback_

" I feel really guilty. " Hinata's voice trembled. " Not only to make my friends worry... "

" Are you talking about...? " Haku questioned.

Hinata nodded sadly.

_Flashback_

**" H-H-H-H-H- " Kiba merely stammered, pointing at Hinata's figure, sitting on a couch in Kurenai's apartment.**

**Hinata sweatdropped, _And I thought I was the one having speech problems..._**

**" Hinata, you've come back. " Shino commented.**

**Akamaru's huge body trembled as he barked happily after nudging the Hyuuga.  
**

**" Yes, she has. " Kurenai smiled as she hugged her student tightly. " I heard she was alive a few months ago. "**

**" Sensei?! " Hinata gasped. " Are you...? " **

**Kurenai blushed and nodded. Then, she whispered a name to Hinata. Hinata's eyes widened with a pleseantly surprised feeling.**

**" What's wrong? " Shino looked at them.**

**" Nothing. " Hinata smiled. " It's a women's secret. "  
**

**" Going back to the topic, if Hinata was here... Then, why didn't you- " Shino was interrupted.**

**" Because Hinata told me not to tell you, in case you worried after her day and night. Her presence is unknown to the whole village except for Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, our team, and of course the Hyuuga clan. " Kurenai explained.  
**

**" Why didn't we see her at the funeral? " Shino questioned further.**

**" The funeral of her father? That's because she came and left very early. " Kurenai said. " Tsunade-sama will be annoucing to the village that you're alive soon, right? " **

**Hinata opened her mouth.**

**" Shino, ya worthless bastard, hit me! Punch me! Kick me! I need to know that it's not a dream! " Kiba shouted.**

**Shino calmly proceeded to kick Kiba in the crotch.**

**" OW! Bloody bug-bastard! Not there! " Kiba growled at him and limped over to Hinata. " God damn it! Don't do this to me! " Kiba turned to Hinata. " I'm extremely glad that you're alive but try to show up earlier! I went to pray at your grave this morning y'know. " He grumbled good-naturedly.**

**Hinata giggled while Kurenai sweatdropped. Shino thought to himself, _Is this really my team mate? _**

**_" _Let's catch up at Ichiraku's, Hinata! " Kiba enthused. " They have good food there for a cheap price. Whaddaya say, Shino, Kurenai-sensei? " **

**" An excellent idea coming from that mentally unstable state of yours. " Shino spoke, nonchalantly.**

**" What?! " Kiba raged. " Take that back, you bug freak! " **

**" Let's go, Hinata. " Kurenai smiled.  
**

**" Gomenasai, minna-san. (I'm sorry, everyone.) But, I can't stay here a minute longer. I've got to finish up some things outside from Konoha. " **

**" What?! " Kiba exclaimed. " They can't send you on a mission so damn fast! "**

**Akamaru whined. He understood Hinata was leaving.  
**

**" No, this mission is something no one but Haku-nii-san can follow me on. It's something secret and dangerous. I don't want you to be involved in this. " Hinata spoke with steely determination.  
**

**" But- "**

**" I understand, Hinata. " Kurenai smiled fondly at her. " Go, now. You have grown. "**

**" Sensei?! " Kiba whirled at his teacher.**

**" Thank you... " Hinata breathed. " Where is he? " Hinata smiled mischeviously.**

**Kurenai blushed slightly then grew solemn, " He's on a mission that engages in combat with the Akatsuki. "**

**Hinata's mind blew over with shock. A billion questions popped into it as she struggled to maintain her happy and calm demeanor.  
**

**" By the way, who the hell is this Haku? " Kiba frowned.**

**" I'll explain to everyone if I come back. " Hinata said breathlessly. " I've got to go. Thank you for being there for me, minna-san (everyone). " With a puff a smoke, she and Haku (who was sitting on the rooftop) were gone.**

_End of Flashback_

" They've done so much for me, I feel as if I don't deserve it, Haku-nii-san. " Hinata sighed.

" Hey, don't get so worked up over it, Hinata. " Haku patted her shoulder. " Doing that will only distract you enough to get killed, not that I mean any offence to your friends and your teacher. "

" I know. " Hinata smiled.

" Besides, the best way- " Haku suddenly flung a kunai into the trees.

A shadow leaped out from the trees and landed on the ground in front of them. Hinata was startled but quickly followed Haku as he jumped down opposite of the stranger.

" Speak! Who are you? " Haku ordered.

As the shadow walked into the sunlight that was breaking through masses of leaves in the forest, they saw it was a girl of their age. The girl had a big grin on her face with brown hair and equally sparkling brown eyes. The hitai-ite or head band tied to her forearm was not slashed and had the symbol of a note. Hinata reached up to her own head band at her neck and gulped.

" You're a sound ninja? Are you working with Orochimaru? " Hinata asked.

" Well, everybody does assume that at first but no. I have my own mind. " the girl grinned back at her.

" How do you know we can trust you? " Haku narrowed his eyes.

" So sorry. I thought at first you were a girl. " she bowed at him.

" That's besides the matter! " Haku stomped his feet.

" I guess I have to gain your trust little by little. " the brunette sighed. " Can you let me follow you, Hinata-san, Haku-san? "

" Our names! " Haku exclaimed. " How did you- "

" I heard from behind when I was following you. You only noticed after you said them. " the girl continued.

" You can follow us. " Hinata smiled at her.

" Great! Can I call you Hinata-chan then? " the girl said.

" H-Hinata! You're agreeing so easily?! " Haku asked.

" I don't see any evil in her eyes or hear any maliciousness from her voice. You should know by now, Haku. People who are bad normally have a different tone to it. " Hinata reproached her best friend.

" I never noticed. " Haku complained.

" That's because you have the Golden Eyes! " the girl hugged Hinata, nearly killing her in the process.

" How did- " Haku was interrupted again.

" I studied lots about all the clans in the world in the records of the library in my village. I came to know the Hyuuga clan from there. It was an ancient manuscript that told the whole story about the Hyuuga clan. It said that Hyuugas' who have the Golden Eyes can tell the diffrence between an evil person and a good one. I didn't know when or how people used it but that one second, I saw your eyes flash golden, Hinata-chan! " the girl released Hinata from the death grip. " That was so cool! "

" The Hyuuga clan is in Konoha. Why would something like that be all the way in the Hidden Village of Sound? " Haku asked, still suspicious.

" Because! I am Shadow's niece, Rai Tomoko! Ta-daa! " she twirled. " I was sent by my uncle to follow you! In order to protect you better, I studied the Hyuuga clan history. Though really, you're much better than me in fighting. "

" Shadow...? " Haku frowned.

Hinata's mouth would've dropped if it weren't for her jaw holding it up. Tomoko?! Shadow's niece?! This was a bit too much for the brain to take.

" Oh... " was all Hinata could say. She recovered. " OK, then. You definitely have my complete trust, Tomoko-chan. " Hinata smiled.

" I trust your conclusion, Hinata. Only _yours_. " Haku emphasized.

" Thanks, Hinata-chan! Thanks, Haku-san! " Tomoko grinned.

" We have to go. We still need to stop the Akatsuki from- " Hinata started.

" If you're talking about the platoon with the greatest strategist in Konoha. It's too late. It was too late the minute you set out of the village gates. " Tomoko's expression took a much more serious and mature expression, making her look about thirty but in reality, she was only fifteen.

Hinata and Haku looked at her in horror.

" I can lead you to them. The Akatsuki have gone now. " Tomoko suggested.

" Please. " Hinata whispered.

Tomoko nodded and jumped onto a tree branch before sprinting off. Hinata and Haku followed her, this time with feelings of dread. What were they going to see...?

* * *

I'm done! I'm so, so, so, sorry to all of my readers who have taken the time to actually read this story. I have been just so busy lately. I want to thank you all again for reading, reviewing, favouriting and alerting my story! My gratitude is high. Thank you!!! Try to put up with me until the story ends! ^^


	17. Chapter 17

Hello everyone! I'm back again! I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year a little early this time. I hope this chapter will be up to all of the readers' standards. Please don't hesitate to comment or correct my grammar mistakes, I don't have a beta reader so forgive me. Thanks for reading and remember, I don't own Naruto! XP

* * *

" Hinata-sama... " Neji sighed, throwing down his pencil and rubbing his temples.

The new clan leader was signing a ridiculous amount of paperwork. There were death confirmation to be made, payments to reconstruct the Hyuuga grounds, elders who didn't approve of him because he came from the Branch family... Oh, yeah. Neji really, really wanted to strangle someone now. To add on to his stress, his cousin, the only one that had ever been nothing but kind to him had left to slay Orochi. And... he had to look over Hanabi, who was acting like a shell. No life inside, just robotic movements and hardly eating anything since Hinata's announcement.

_Flashback  
_

**" Neji-nii, I have to go slay Orochi. " Hinata spoke with steely determination.**

**" What I don't understand is why do you have to go alone. " the stoic Neji answered.**

**" I don't want anybody to be hurt, especially those that are close to me. " Hinata wrung her hands together.**

**" Don't we all want that? " Neji spat, eyes narrowing.**

**They were together in the clan leader's room. The room that was reserved for only the Hyuuga head. no one else were to go in unless permitted. The candles around them, the only source of light, flickered now and again as the wind blew in from the windows. Time was running out, the candles seemed to say.**

**_I can't let anyone go with me... Only Tsunade-sama knows that I trained with the Akatsuki. If I let anyone else come, what will they think of me? _Hinata thought, her eyes nearly filling with tears. Neji eyed her carefully, trying to read her mind.**

**" If you don't want me to come, or anyone else for that matter, why is Haku going? " Neji questioned.**

**" Because he specializes in targeting skills. I need them badly in order to seal Orochi and disable anyone who stands in the way. His aim is better than an ANBU, Neji-nii. " Hinata said.**

**_Well, that's half of the truth. _Hinata thought. _I can't believe I lied so easily._**

**" Can't you let other people follow you to fight the Akatsuki while you kill Orochi? " Neji spoke.**

**Orochi. The very utter of the name made the wind stop and the birds freeze. It was a name as well as a curse. One should not use it lightly, for the name itself sounds evil. Hinata knew this and yet her cousin didn't listen to her.**

**" We don't want to kill. Haku-nii-san's senbon needles can render them unconcious silently and quickly. " Hinata gazed out the window. " I myself do not have that much skill in aiming. "  
**

**This was truth. No matter how many times Haku had tried to convince her that the Akatsuki were better off dead Hinata paid no heed to him. Her own personal rule - no killing. That was that.**

**" I have to go now, Neji-nii. I cannot wait any longer. " Hinata turned to leave than she froze.**

**Hanabi was standing at the door way.**

**" You're leaving? " Her voice came out in a whisper.**

**Hanabi was a cold and insensitive person, just like her father. She didn't care for the feelings of others. But when it came to Hinata, her walls she had built around herself broke down and she behaved like a normal 12-year old girl. When Hiashi wasn't around that is.  
**

**" I have to, Hanabi-chan. " Hinata bit her lip. " I might... " She stopped, not going any further, fearing it will hurt her sister more.**

**" It's OK. " Hanabi said bravely, even though her voice was trembling. One could tell she was trying her very hardest not to cry.**

**" Thank you. " Hinata smiled to Hanabi and gave a final pat on the head of her younger sibling. " Thank you to you too, Neji-nii. " She still held that gentle smile in place, her own vision fogging up a little.**

**" Be safe. " Was all Neji murmured. And she was gone.**

**At that very moment, Hanabi ran to her room and sobbed in anguish, not knowing whether her sister might return...**

_End of Flashback_

Hinata had told him about Shadow. Their fellow ANBU agent. Not his. Not hers. But _theirs._ Maybe Hinata was planning to break another tradition by sharing the responsibilty with another Hyuuga for the clan leader. With a Branch family member at that. The elders were sure to complain. Apparently, Shadow told Neji that his niece, Rai Tomoko was following them to protect Hinata. Hinata wouldn't need protecting, Shadow stated but if caught in a pinch, Tomoko would probably step in. Not only that, she had all the info on the Golden Eyes, which she had learnt from the ancient Hyuuga scroll, which was now in Neji's possesion. He had met Tomoko, and she surprised him in many ways. However, Neji had yet to trust Shadow and Tomoko, for he was wary of anyone and everyone now, after what Hinata told him about the Akatsuki.

* * *

Meanwhile...

" He's almost ready, Kabuto... " Orochimaru chuckled, revealing his long tongue and dragging it across his pale lips. " Just a few more times. "

Kabuto knelt in front of his master, grinning sadistically as well, " Yes, Orochimaru-sama. That mind controlling technique you created out of the Yamanaka's blood was perfect. "

" Of course. " Orochimaru smiled, placing his fingertips together. " I do not want just a strong body, but a strong mind as well. That mind technique which resulted in me fusing your blood with the Yamanaka's allows you to freely control the mind of someone else in exchange of your own conciousness. " He rested his back on the stone chair he was sitting on. " If you use it repeatedly on someone, that someone will certainly resist each time. Then, after a few months of practice, you have a mind that is invulnerable against all mind jutsus because, Kabuto, the Yamanaka clan is most famous in their mind-controlling jutsu because theirs is the strongest in the world. "

" Sasuke's mind was incredibly weak at first, Orochimaru-sama. Now, he's almost able to block me out. " Kabuto smirked. " It was fun playing around with his mind and controlling his body. The Hyuuga, the one who was following her, and the rest of our minions didn't even notice the subtle changes in Sasuke's character when I took over. "

" Do you know why I lied, Kabuto? " Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with evil. The light from the lighted candles were reflected in Orochimaru's eyes, giving him an even more eerie look.

" To the Hyuuga? I am not sure. " Kabuto lowered his eyes.

" You will see, Kabuto. You will see. " Orochimaru chuckled again, eyes closed in laughter.

* * *

" This is terrible... " Hinata's eyes filled with tears as she, Haku, and Tomoko observed Shikamaru bending over Asuma's dying figure.

" I, too, came upon this scene. The killers have left long ago. " Tomoko whispered. " I heard a pigeon overhead as I passed by. I think they called for a backup platoon. "

Just as she spoke, Ino, Chouji and their other two teammates arrived at the scene. It looked like Asuma was going to say his last words, so without wasting another moment, the trio left. It felt wrong to look into their precious conversation. When they glided from branch to branch, Hinata's Byakugan, which had been activated earlier, spotted a very familiar symbol. She almost lost her balance as she remembered where it came from.

" Haku-nii-san, look. It's Hidan-sama and Kakuzu-sama. They did this. " Hinata hissed.

Haku gave a nod of confirmation. Tomoko raised her eyebrow but said nothing.

" What do we do now? " Haku asked, adjusting his mask.

" Sh! " Tomoko hushed.

The other two fell quiet, wondering what was wrong.

" Ninja, three hundred and two degrees to you right, five meters away. " Tomoko said, very softly.

Hinata nodded along with Haku. Tomoko's eyes acquired a feral look.

" They're Orochimaru's underlings. " She bared her teeth.

They tensed waiting for something, anything to happen. It did. A fire jutsu was suddenly shot at them, followed by a wind jutsu, combining both forces of nature together. Now, a tornado of fire rushed towards them, seconds from impact. The trio jumped. Hinata drew her puppet while Haku had his hands busy with senbon needles. Tomoko drew a regular kunai. All three of them waited again. The rogue ninja rushed toward the unprotected backs of the Konoha-nin gathered around Asuma. Hinata lunge forward and launched her puppet, spiraling into the air. Haku flicked two senbon needles, taking out the two lagging behind. Three more left.

" Sound-style : Thunder's Voice! " Tomoko said.

Right after that, a huge, and extremely loud shout erupted from Tomoko's mouth. It was so loud that you could actually see the soundwaves crashing through the trees and it tore cement off the ground. Funnily enough, Haku and Hinata were not affected. In fact, they only heard a normal shout. They looked questioningly at Tomoko. One more ninja crumpled to the ground, bleeding from the ears and head.

" When I fight with people, I cast sound barriers before combat. This protects you from my attacks and they usually last about half a day. " She grinned back at them. " The Konoha-nin should be fine, I directed my shout at the rogue ninja. "

They increased their speed and soon Hinata puppet rained poisoned senbon needles down at their enemies. Two dead. None left. Mission complete. At the price of all the Konoha-nin around Asuma's corpse knowing their existence. They stared and stared and stared. Then, Hinata, Haku and Tomoko were gone, just like that.

" Phew... " Tomoko sighed.

" Tomoko-chan, you said you cast barriers on us. How come I don't feel or see anything? " Hinata frowned.

" Oh, they're meant to be like that. However, they won't shield you from any other attack except my sound jutsus. Other people who can use sound jutsus will be able to attack you. "

" Oh. "

" Hinata, I'm not sure if I tell you this, but I heard the last ninja cough up something about Sasuke being ready to absorb? " Haku asked.

Hinata's eyes widened.

" I heard it too. " Tomoko nodded. " Orochimaru must be planning to take his body then. "

" How did you know? " Haku narrowed his eyes from under his mask.

" I spied on him before. " Tomoko answered. " For my uncle, in case he came along and attacked us, I would have the advantage of information. "

Haku looked away, still not quite believing her. Hinata smiled, " Thank you. "

" You're welcome! " Tomoko gave a thumbs up then turned serious again, " To Orochimaru or Orochi? "

" I think we should go for the first option. " Hinata chose, changing directions.

" What?! " Haku followed her, " You actually care for that bastard?! Who knows, even she might be leading us to a trap! "

" No. Whatever it is, I'm going, Haku-nii-san, whether you like it or not. " Hinata smiled.

Haku gave a sigh of defeat. The three of them rushed on, towards one of the many lairs of Orochimaru. The one where Hinata and Haku were first taken to...

* * *

Whew... done. Little talk now, it's 12. 30 am and I need to snooze. Thanks for readin'... Snore...


	18. Chapter 18

OK! This story is going to reach it's climax soon I think. Which means it will be about halfway through. I'd like to thank all of those who have read this story and put up with me and my late updates! XP I feel really bad for not updating as fast as I used to but I've got more and more homework piling up for the next year and there's only a few days left of school holidays! Sobz… Well, enjoy this chapter as much as you can, I hope it's better than the last one! ^^ I. Don't. Own. Naruto. So there! ^.^

* * *

Three ninja flew silently across the forest. They were searching for something extremely well hidden.

" It's there. " Hinata narrowed her eyes, looking through her activated kekkei genkai.

Haku jumped onto the same branch. Tomoko was on the branch underneath them.

" Orochimaru has a way of hiding his lairs, huh? " Haku murmured. " Hiding them at an angle which is most difficult to find with the normal eye and blocking that particular angle from all directions, as well as blending the secret entrance. It's such a pain. "

" Oh, stop complaining, old man. " Tomoko snapped, though quietly. " Worse than my grandmother. "

Haku scowled at her. Hinata tried her best to stop the burst of giggles that were struggling to come out of her mouth. Haku and Tomoko always argued the moment they saw each other. It was quite fun to watch them with her trademark Hinata-ish smile on her face. But, they had a right to be snappish. It was a whole day when they could finally spot one of Orochimaru's hideouts. Even with Hinata's Byakugan. The Golden Eyes couldn't help, according to Tomoko. The eyes were used for divine purposes, not looking for hideouts.

" What do we do? " Tomoko whispered, ignoring the glares Haku gave her.

" Hm? How about dying? "

The three ninja exploded in a flurry of attacks at the sound of that voice and jumped down to the ground in defensive positions. The ninja calmly walked into sight and lo behold, it was Kabuto. Hinata narrowed her eyes, trying to hide her confusion. The chakra... The chakra that he had... Impossible.

" Kabuto... I smell two chaka types on you. What the hell did you do with yourself? " Tomoko growled dangerously.

Hinata snapped her head to Tomoko. She could see the chakra but she could _smell_ it? However, Tomoko wasn't looking at Hinata. Her normal happy face was replaced by a dark and fierce look. She bared her teeth at Kabuto, making a noise at the back of her throat that sounded very much like a growl. She turned her eyes back to Kabuto who was staring up at them with his infamous smirk glued to his face. The second chakra pathway he had was actually split into several part of his body. Looking closer, she saw the sinister chakra actually morphing and feeding off the Kabuto's normal chakra. Her eyes widened, Byakugan suddenly deactivated. She would've fallen off the tree if not for Haku and Tomoko holding, her back up.

" Ah, so you noticed, Hinata-san. " Kabuto gave a low chuckle.

" Noticed what? " Haku's beautiful orbs narrowed, glaring at the silver haired missing-nin.

" That chakra... " Hinata spoke, voice trembling and looking absolutely mortified. " It's Orochimaru's, isn't it? "

" Hmph, not bad for a weak and pathetic kunoichi like you, Hinata-san. You are correct. " Kabuto pushed up his glasses.

Without her white and black vision of Byakugan, Hinata saw that the body parts that were burning with Orochimaru's chakra were very pale and white, just like Orochimaru's skin.

" That Uchiha actually killed Orochimaru-sama when Orochimaru-sama was trying to take over his body using the forbidden technique and showing his true form. Apparently, his Sharingan turned Orochimaru-sama's body-stealing process against Orochimaru-sama, thus absorbing Orochimaru-sama into his own body. While I merely collected the remaining parts of Orochimaru-sama's body and attached them to me, as they have regenerating powers that will prove useful. " Kabuto told them, said smirk still on his face.

Hinata felt bile rise up to her throat. Who could do such a thing? Tomoko growled again, making her disgust known. Haku still held his senbon needles, waiting. Hinata swallowed and continued to look at Kabuto, thinking of how to attack.

" Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you. " Kabuto chuckled again. " The Sasuke you saw and trained with, is not Sasuke at all. "

Hinata merely looked at him, puzzled.

" All those times... Sasuke was being controlled by _me_. " An evil look, shaded Kabuto's face. " Come on, telepathy during battle and training? " Kabuto scoffed. " _Nonsense. _There is no such thing. Even if there was, you would be the last person that Uchiha kid would speak to. All those times, you were letting him into your mind, you were actually letting _me _gain all the information I needed for Orochimaru-sama. The plan you used to help Naruto and the rest was merely a small part of Orochimaru-sama's masterplan. "

Hinata and Haku stared at him, horror written across their faces. _All those times... _Hinata thought.

_Flashback_

****

" Itachi-sama? " Hinata questioned.

He quickly tried to stab Hinata but she block it with her kunai. As they stood, faces inches apart, Hinata could see immense hate in those red Sharingan eyes...He was Uchiha Sasuke.

" Do _not _associate me with that hateful killer! " he roared.

**

* * *

**

" Why? Isn't he your brother? " Hinata whispered.

" Shut up! " Sasuke replied angrily and dove in with his katana.

" Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation. " Hinata announced.

" Hmph. Chidori Nagashi! (One Thousand Birds Current) "

" You die today, Hyuuga. " Sasuke spoke nonchalantly.

" I don't think so, _Uchiha._ " Hinata replied, twitching her finger.

" It's a tie then unless you want both our heads to be chopped off. " Hinata said light-heartedly.

" _Fine, Hyuuga. _" he spat out.

" You'd make a good training partner. " Hinata praised.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

" We shall meet again here, in the next full moon. Next time, I will defeat you. "

" I'm giving it my all then, Uchiha. " Hinata laughed.

" Hn. " was all he said before leaving.

* * *

" Oh! Uchiha-san. " Hinata realized as she recognized the chakra signature.

" Do you realize how bloody long I waited? You weren't at the spot we agreed at so I decided to look for you, Hyuuga. " Sasuke emerged from the bushes, speaking coldly.

* * *

**" Who's there? " Sasuke spoke, drawing his katana.**

**" Gomen, Uchiha-san. I-I...Um...Ano... " Hinata stammered for the first time in two years, trying to find an excuse.**

**" Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in your room? " he asked.**

**" I overheard you cursing. Um...Haku-nii-san and Neji-nii-san says that it's not good to... " her voice trailed off as she looked at her feet.**

**Sasuke waited.**

**" To keep all your feelings bottled up inside you. You can tell someone you really trust. Ano...I don't mean me but- "**

**" Who do I have? " he asked no one in particular, laughing bitterly.**

**Hinata looked up.**

**" My whole family was killed, no, slaughtered in one night. This was done by the person whom I trusted most since birth. He will never be forgiven by me. Never. He's a bloodthirsty murderer, that's all. I will kill him to make him pay. I will do anything to achieve it, even if it means to have to train with Orochimaru and give up my body. " Sasuke said, eyes closed.**

**" I'm-I'm so sorry. " Hinata murmured softly, " Who is he? " she asked, fearing she already knew.**

**" My brother, Itachi. " Sasuke answered.**

**Hinata slowly lowered her eyes. Itachi was her teacher. And Sasuke said all of this as if it were just facts of life. His voice didn't show any emotion. At all...**

**" Uchiha-san? " Hinata began nervously, " Do you- " she gulped, " Do you love your family? "**

**The teenager was rather thrown off guard by this question. However, he recovered his composure quickly.**

**" Why do you want to know? " Sasuke questioned her back.**

**" Because I-I-I- " Hinata mentally slapped herself for stuttering and looked straight into Sasuke's eyes, even though she knew it might bring her certain death, " I care about you! " she squeaked, eyes shut tightly.**

**Sasuke looked puzzled.**

**" Uchiha-san doesn't have any friends here, ne? I thought it must be lonesome...It's not fun being alone you know? " Hinata stated with a sad smile, " I never had anyone with me from the start, not even my own family supported me, well, except for Hanabi-chan. Before the Chuunin exams and the time I was kidnapped, Neji-nii-san hated me. I don't think he has stopped but I cared for him. It was unfair the way he got treated just because he was from the Branch family. I tried to talk to him but- "**

**" Why bother when he hates you? " Sasuke scoffed.**

**" I didn't need him to like me. I cared for him because I wanted to. It doesn't matter if other people don't like me, I can still care for them and be their friend, ne? " Hinata looked away and fidgeted with her fingers, something she never could stop doing.**

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**

**" I'll do it. " Sasuke said, his voice devoid of any emotion, " But I don't know about Hyuuga here, even though I can manage them myself. "**

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**

**" Hyuuga. " Sasuke called.**

**Hinata jumped and muttered a small 'eep', (she couldn't get rid of that habit either), before turning around.**

**" Hai? (Yes?) " Hinata answered, recieving another death glare from Karin.**

**" What're you looking for? " Sasuke asked.**

**" Uh...Uh...A pot. A pot to boil herbs in. " Hinata replied flabbergasted.**

**" Why? "**

**" I wanted to make some of my family's special healing ointment before we go tomorrow but..., " Hinata bit her lip, " I can't find the right pot. Some are to big and some are too small. Some aren't made of the right material. "**

**Sasuke swiftly went to a hidden cupboard that Hinata had missed and brought out a rather large, pot made out of clay, " Is this OK? "**

**" Ah... " Hinata breathed still rather stunned by what Sasuke had just done.**

**Sasuke cleared his throat after Hinata didn't respond to his question for five whole minutes.**

**" Ah, Hai!! Absolutely!! Arigatou (Thank you), Uchiha-san. " Hinata snapped back to attention, deftly taking the pot from Sasuke.**

**Just when she was doing that, their fingers lightly touched, causing Hinata to jump, and slightly startling Sasuke.**

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**" You're on. " he smirked and jumped off the tree branch.**

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**

_Why? _he asked her, irritated and slightly confused.

_Because they are everything to me...If you destroy them, you destroy me..._ Hinata answered, sad.

_And do I even care?_ Sasuke stared back at her.

_I know not much about you...But I know, you are a good person...Even if you tried to hide it...I-_

" Shut up! " Sasuke snarled and thrust his katana at her. Hinata swiftly evaded it.

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**_I've already told you! don't call me a kind person! I am nothing of what you say!! _Sasuke roared in his mind at Hinata.**

_End of Flashback_

_All those times...? _Hinata thought, her heart aching.

" I know what you're thinking, Hyuuga. And it's true. I controlled that Uchiha's actions. The only times I didn't interfere was when he snubbed you and when he fought you. His mind used to have one weakness, his memories of the death of his entire clan. It was easy to manipulate him using that weak spot. " Kabuto laughed. " Mind you, he had no regrets after stabbing you. Do you think he would share his past with you so easily? Do you think he would be so kind to you? Do you think he would consider as a _friend_? No. Because that's completely out of his character.

You were merely useful to him. A tool and nothing else. Daughter of Hyuuga Hiashi. Known as a weak and pathethic heir to the Hyuuga clan. Hanabi is your sister and Neji was your cousin. He hated you before. You- " Kabuto stopped and avoided some angrily thrown senbon needles. He studied their positions before avoiding another three of them. All of them were aimed at his jugular vein and artery at his neck.

" Well, since he knows that much about you, I think he isn't lying about controlling that Uchiha bastard. " Haku spoke, softly. " But this just gives me a better reason to kill him. "

Hinata didn't say anything, still overcome by the situation. Her eyes were starting to fill with tears. Haku was actually a soft-spoken and mild person. He has his outbursts now and again but all in all he spoke in a pretty soft voice. Seeing Sasuke hurt Hinata like that made him furious and even though he didn't like swearing, he allowed himself to call Sasuke a bastard. Simply because he wanted to. He could be outgoing only with Hinata. Hinata had taught him how to live. She gave him a reason to live with her kindness that accepted him completely. And now, he was going to pay her back. Hinata looked at him, worry in her eyes as she started to take her scroll that contained her puppet. Haku saw her hands trembling. Hinata had no will to fight.

" This is my battle. " Haku told her gently. " So please, stand back. "

" Your battle? You aren't stronger than Hinata-san! You- " Kabuto used his chakra scapel and deflected the oncoming senbon needles.

Haku appeared in front of him and delivered a punch to Kabuto's gut. It was a direct hit.

" I suggest you do a little less talking when you're fighting. " Haku said, his gentle voice cold.

" Get him, Haku! " Tomoko shouted.

Haku's face had a small smile before it changed back to a calm look. Kabuto was thrown a few feet back from him and was still standing. Kabuto lifted his chakra scapel and charged towards Haku. Haku ducked and tried to stab a needle into Kabuto's ankle. Kabuto jumped and cut at Haku's shoulder. This time he didn't miss. That goes for Haku too. When Kabuto cut at Haku, Haku stabbed a needle at Kabuto's arm, rendering it useless. Kabuto switched his scapel to the other hand, unable to find time to unlock his first. He jabbed at Haku once more, getting Haku in the face and cracking his mask. Shocking Kabuto for life, Haku kissed Kabuto on the cheek and jabbed a senbon needle straight to his heart. Just like that, Kabuto died. Tomoko immediately burst out laughing while Hinata fell to her knees, not really believing what she just saw. Haku spat a few times before wiping his mouth and collapsing.

" Haku-nii-san! " Hinata ran to him.

Tomoko followed her. Hinata was inspecting Haku's body for wounds.

" This is bad... " Hinata said, her tears from earlier spilled when more replaced them. " His stomach is punctured. He's suffering from internal bleeding.

" What?! " Tomoko exclaimed.

" I think it happened when Haku-nii-san k-k-kissed Kabuto. Kabuto used some sort of medical ninjutsu to penetrate right through into the stomach. At the same time, Haku plunged his senbon needle into Kabuto's heart. "

Hinata activated her Byakugan, " I need to heal this straight away. He will die today if I don't. " Hinata murmured and called forth for her green chakra.

" Just one question, Hinata-chan. Can a senbon needle like that kill? " Tomoko sat down beside the kneeling Hyuuga.

Hinata shook her head. " No, hurt yes but kill no. He probably would've caused Kabuto a permenant handicap. "

Tomoko grinned. " Take a closer sniff, Hinata-chan. I'm sure it's something you've smelt before. "

Hinata did as she was told. " Poison! " She realized.

" Haku knows his weapons well, so I don't think he would use any ordinary needle. Kabuto's really dead. We have to burn the body now. " Tomoko headed over to it.

" Why? " Hinata asked, voice strained and sweat beading on her forehead.

" Remember what he said? Kabuto had Orochimaru's body parts in him. They can regenerate to save Kabuto. I learned about how Orochimaru can always heal himself when I was spying on him. " Tomoko quickly ran through some hand seals and set the body alight.

There was a scream that erupted from the body and it died away as Tomoko quickly shot blast after blast of flame, burning it completely. Hinata nearly threw up on Haku. Tomoko sat back, trembling a little.

" That was scary... " Tomoko let out a sigh.

Hinata nodded. She swallowed hard and concentrated. Stitch back the organ skin, build the walls of cells and fat, close the wounds... stop the bleeding... create skin cells...

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I'M DONE!! YAY! Next chapter will be coming soon I hope! ^^


End file.
